The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Sciencast Management LP

Sciencast Management LP reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 41.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,149 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,044 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 2.7 %

NYSE KR traded up $1.72 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,745,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,854,786. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $68.51. 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 $47.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $63.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.12.

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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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 34.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 223,244 shares of company stock valued at $15,001,418. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.88.

About Kroger

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.