The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. decreased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,607 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,447 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Up 1.1 %

KR opened at $59.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $42.84 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 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. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.97 and a 1 year high of $60.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $56.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.23.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 33.51%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at $4,142,036.44. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, 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.