Humankind Investments LLC Has $351,000 Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Humankind Investments LLC reduced its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,742 shares of the company’s stock after selling 299 shares during the period. Humankind Investments LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $351,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 884,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,688,000 after acquiring an additional 40,914 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,246,000 after purchasing an additional 37,222 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 160,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,211,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 144,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,825,000 after buying an additional 9,044 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $72.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $68.31 and its 200 day moving average is $63.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.96 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.