Laurion Capital Management LP Invests $26.30 Million in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Laurion Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 430,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,295,000. Kroger accounts for approximately 0.5% of Laurion Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at $8,308,919.22. This represents a 7.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.3%

Kroger stock opened at $72.00 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Melius lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.06.

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.