Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 36,660 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 73.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,265 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,660 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 218.8% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $58.06. 2,413,325 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,679,139. The company's fifty day moving average price is $56.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.31 and a 52-week high of $60.35.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. Kroger's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Melius Research began coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Four investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.