Forsta AP Fonden Acquires 86,600 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Forsta AP Fonden increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 61.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 227,800 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 86,600 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Kroger were worth $13,930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its holdings in Kroger by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 48,115 shares of the company's stock worth $2,942,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 4,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC now owns 31,559 shares of the company's stock worth $1,808,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group increased its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 5,366 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Center Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. City Center Advisors LLC now owns 5,748 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares in the company, valued at $6,965,563.32. The trade was a 18.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $8,379,373.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,743,103.14. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.80.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.12 on Thursday, hitting $61.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 836,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,038,032. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.99. The company has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a PE ratio of 16.18, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $44.48 and a 1 year high of $63.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.