First Trust Advisors LP Has $78.83 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,289,094 shares of the company's stock after selling 68,852 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.18% of Kroger worth $78,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 220.9% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,888 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,000 after buying an additional 1,988 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 2,060 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $566,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth $95,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,391,000 after buying an additional 698 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 0.9 %

Kroger stock traded down $0.66 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $71.34. 9,227,326 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,509,013. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The firm's 50 day moving average is $66.68 and its 200-day moving average is $62.21. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $47.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. On average, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger 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 directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Melius cut shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.50.

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.