Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Has $5.85 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 23.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 89,388 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,660 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after acquiring an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $470,561,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,327,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $426,515,000 after acquiring an additional 865,559 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 1.0%

KR opened at $62.95 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $67.35 and a 200-day moving average of $66.60.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.73.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, offering a wide range of retail grocery and related services. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates a portfolio of supermarket and multi-department store banners and provides customers with fresh foods, packaged groceries, deli and bakery items, meat and seafood, produce, and prepared foods. Kroger’s stores commonly include pharmacy services and fuel centers, positioning the company as a broad-based neighborhood retail destination for everyday needs.

In addition to traditional in-store retailing, Kroger manufactures and distributes a variety of private-label brands and operates its own food production and supply-chain facilities.