UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Acquires 865,699 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,363,964 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 865,699 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $389,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $69.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Melius upgraded Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Melius Research cut Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total value of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were 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 owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. Company 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.