The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC decreased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 366,898 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,773 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.05% of Kroger worth $20,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 4,810.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 567,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,955,000 after purchasing an additional 556,266 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,380,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,115,000 after buying an additional 261,368 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $671,000. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 156,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,143,000 after buying an additional 17,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Kroger by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,647,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,175,000 after buying an additional 115,264 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $52.63. 237,079 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,243,776. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $52.37 and a 200 day moving average of $51.30. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $58.34. The company has a market capitalization of $37.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The firm had revenue of $45.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $1.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.73%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on KR. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.30.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total value of $1,693,450.98. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 105,298 shares in the company, valued at $5,894,582.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.