The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise decreased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 102,777 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,177 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $58.06 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.31 and a one year high of $60.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.51 and a 200-day moving average of $54.13. The company has a market capitalization of $42.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % 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 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Melius Research started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus increased 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.09.

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.