Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 367 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,419 shares of the company’s stock after selling 367 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 370.1% in 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 period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 430.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $55.26 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.69. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The firm has a market cap of $39.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.