The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Holdings Boosted by Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC

Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 238,442 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,687 shares during the period. Kroger comprises approximately 0.7% of Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in Kroger by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.9 %

KR stock opened at $72.98 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a market cap of $48.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.03.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KR. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Melius Research lowered Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 304,923 shares of company stock worth $20,705,024. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company Profile

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.