The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Amalgamated Bank

Amalgamated Bank lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,774 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,020 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $8,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 25.5% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 212,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,170,000 after purchasing an additional 43,143 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 15.3% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 160,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,183,000 after buying an additional 21,283 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 26.0% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 15,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 3,219 shares during the period. Old Port Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.19.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $63.71 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.45. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $47.35 and a 12-month high of $66.26.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 33.86%.

Kroger declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger 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.