The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stake Cut by Schroder Investment Management Group

Schroder Investment Management Group cut its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,037,294 shares of the company's stock after selling 207,024 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.14% of Kroger worth $63,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings 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 period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its position 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 buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

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Kroger Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of KR stock traded down $3.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $67.55. 9,999,826 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,176,384. The company has a market capitalization of $48.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $64.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.72. 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 Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $71.83.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,785 shares of company stock worth $15,393,666. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average 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.