The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stake Lessened by Vectors Research Management LLC

Vectors Research Management LLC trimmed its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,135 shares of the company’s stock after selling 859 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 218.8% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the second quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on KR shares. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $59.08 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $56.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $60.35.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

About Kroger

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.