The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Auxier Asset Management

Auxier Asset Management cut its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 362,110 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,153 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises about 3.4% of Auxier Asset Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $22,143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,027,979,000 after purchasing an additional 773,182 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,436,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,002,479,000 after buying an additional 416,962 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,113,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,060,000 after buying an additional 120,250 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $598,390,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Kroger by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,829,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $478,768,000 after acquiring an additional 916,230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $68.61 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $68.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.21. 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 Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company has a market capitalization of $45.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business 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 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.06.

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.