Todd Asset Management LLC Increases Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Todd Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 455,183 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,663 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $20,806,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KR. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 2.7% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 8,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 2.0% in the third quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 12,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC now owns 33,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,514,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Balentine LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.3% in the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 103,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,626,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $54.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,937,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,340,941. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $54.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.54. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34. The firm has a market cap of $39.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.