The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Stamos Capital Partners L.P.

Stamos Capital Partners L.P. trimmed its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 55.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,250 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,540 shares during the quarter. Stamos Capital Partners L.P.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,027,979,000 after purchasing an additional 773,182 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,436,688 shares of the company's stock worth $1,002,479,000 after buying an additional 416,962 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $598,390,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake 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 worth $353,246,000 after acquiring an additional 37,222 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 have sold 290,056 shares of company stock valued at $19,637,066 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 3.3 %

KR stock traded up $2.29 on Friday, hitting $71.30. 11,454,556 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,412,355. 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 stock has a market cap of $47.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $66.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.66. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $71.93.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KR. Melius lowered shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.