The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,988 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 370.1% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 430.8% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $56.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $40.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.17.

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.