The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Position Trimmed by Spring Capital Management LLC

Spring Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 80,395 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,004 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 2.9% of Spring Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Spring Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Kroger by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC increased its position in Kroger by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 7,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in Kroger by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 17,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $879,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.9% during the first quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 3.4% during the first quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $56.98 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $57.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.48. The company has a market capitalization of $40.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.04%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Kroger from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Stephens reduced their price objective on Kroger from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 1st. TheStreet raised Kroger from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Kroger from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.64.

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.