Distillate Capital Partners LLC Makes New $19.19 Million Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Distillate Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 313,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,186,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 50,119 shares of the company's stock worth $2,872,000 after buying an additional 7,609 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Kroger by 2.8% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 70,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,029,000 after acquiring an additional 1,945 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its position in Kroger by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 354,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,296,000 after purchasing an additional 26,231 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 220.9% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,888 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 179,707 shares of the company's stock worth $10,239,000 after purchasing an additional 2,060 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 258,785 shares of company stock worth $17,476,866. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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Kroger Stock Down 1.4 %

KR traded down $0.94 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.14. 8,990,793 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,381,523. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $65.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.51. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $71.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America increased their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Melius Research lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Melius lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.50.

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.