UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 57,593 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,467 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,522,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC increased its holdings in Kroger by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 48,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,942,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 223,244 shares of company stock worth $15,001,418 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR stock opened at $66.77 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The firm has a market cap of $48.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

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.