Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 4,661 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 398,313 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,661 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $22,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during 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. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $57.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $41.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $55.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.90. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at $4,142,036.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $386,247.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Four 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 MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

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.