The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Holdings Trimmed by Islay Capital Management LLC

Islay Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 35.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,022 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,324 shares during the period. Islay Capital Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $1.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $67.27. The company had a trading volume of 4,733,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,288,137. The stock has a market cap of $44.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $65.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.17. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $71.93.

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Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KR shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Melius cut shares of 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. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.50.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the sale, 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 three months, insiders sold 258,785 shares of company stock valued at $17,476,866. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.