Ranmore Fund Management Ltd Invests $9.54 Million in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Ranmore Fund Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 156,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,539,000. Kroger accounts for about 8.8% of Ranmore Fund Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $1,113,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Kroger by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,052,534 shares of the company's stock valued at $249,717,000 after buying an additional 148,221 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $566,000. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,210,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,246,000 after acquiring an additional 37,222 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 0.5 %

Kroger stock traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $68.26. The stock had a trading volume of 8,827,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,346,180. The company has a market cap of $45.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50 day moving average price is $65.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.33. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $71.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

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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 the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Guggenheim raised their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius downgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Melius Research lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 258,785 shares of company stock valued at $17,476,866 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.