Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 86.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 219,629 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 101,989 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $10,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of KR. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth about $28,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 370.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:KR opened at $56.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 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 quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average of $53.27 and a 200 day moving average of $47.83.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.