International Assets Investment Management LLC Sells 438,018 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

International Assets Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 97.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,180 shares of the company's stock after selling 438,018 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $631,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 218.8% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius Research started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group raised their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the company'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 of the company's stock, valued at $8,444,361.80. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $59.24. 5,926,951 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,508,407. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $42.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's fifty day moving average is $60.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.25. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $44.48 and a fifty-two week high of $63.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are 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.