Mariner LLC Acquires 4,140 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 128,100 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,140 shares during the period. Mariner LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $7,833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Kroger Trading Down 0.6 %

KR traded down $0.41 during trading on Thursday, reaching $71.59. 3,752,964 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,480,380. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $66.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.10.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total transaction of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 304,923 shares of company stock worth $20,705,024 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Melius cut Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.50.

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.