The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,343 shares of the company’s stock after selling 612 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 25.5% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 212,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,170,000 after purchasing an additional 43,143 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth $204,000. abrdn plc lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 859,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,037,000 after buying an additional 9,072 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.9% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 66,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,786,000 after acquiring an additional 3,084 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 144,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,366.08. The trade was a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.19.

Kroger Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:KR opened at $63.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $46.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.49. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $48.21 and a 52 week high of $66.26.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.86%.

Kroger Company 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.