Inceptionr LLC Invests $1.34 Million in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 21,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,341,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,432,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 48,115 shares of the company's stock worth $2,942,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 4,539 shares of the company's stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

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Kroger Stock Up 4.7 %

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $3.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $66.81. The company had a trading volume of 10,791,860 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,868,815. The company has a market capitalization of $48.34 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $67.57.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.86%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.50.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 169,559 shares of company stock worth $10,587,476. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Kroger Company 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.