Blueshift Asset Management LLC Invests $457,000 in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KR. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 5,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,252,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in Kroger by 2.7% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 35,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,018,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Kroger by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,313,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,225,000 after acquiring an additional 34,070 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 53.1% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $60.52 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $43.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.97 and a 1 year high of $61.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Kroger’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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 33.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. The trade was a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.