Caprock Group LLC Sells 2,140 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Caprock Group LLC trimmed its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,933 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,140 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,007,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 218.8% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. The trade was a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Argus boosted their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Melius Research started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Four investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.09.

Kroger Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:KR opened at $58.06 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $42.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of $56.51 and a 200 day moving average of $54.13. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.31 and a 1-year high of $60.35.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.51%.

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.