Orion Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI increased 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. Melius Research raised Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup increased their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.06.

Kroger Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:KR opened at $68.92 on Thursday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $68.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.05. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.96 billion. Research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total value of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.