Federated Hermes Inc. Has $28.87 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Federated Hermes Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 35.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 472,114 shares of the company's stock after selling 263,873 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.07% of Kroger worth $28,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in Kroger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

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Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock traded up $0.85 on Monday, reaching $69.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,749,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,622,394. The business's fifty day moving average price is $65.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.38. The company has a market cap of $45.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $71.93.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Equities analysts expect 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 issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Melius Research lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.50.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 258,785 shares of company stock worth $17,476,866 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.