The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stake Lessened by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd decreased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,509 shares of the company’s stock after selling 334 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Kroger were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 35.4% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 6,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $460,000. Trilogy Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter valued at about $344,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 101.6% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $372,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Argus lifted their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.2 %

Kroger stock opened at $57.37 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.86. The company has a market capitalization of $41.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.96 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 43.69%.

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.