Two Sigma Advisers LP Reduces Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Two Sigma Advisers LP reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 55.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 360,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 448,600 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Kroger were worth $22,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Global Advisors LLC now owns 77,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,709,000 after buying an additional 2,963 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 359,121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,960,000 after acquiring an additional 4,911 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $277,989,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $730,000. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $16,014,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.8%

Kroger stock opened at $69.49 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.02. The company has a market capitalization of $45.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius Research cut shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.06.

About Kroger

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.