Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 13.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 245,405 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,557 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $14,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 5.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,591,402 shares of the company's stock worth $678,562,000 after buying an additional 723,771 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Kroger by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 7,759,992 shares of the company's stock worth $387,456,000 after acquiring an additional 917,923 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 96.6% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,381,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,689,000 after buying an additional 2,643,811 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Kroger by 8.4% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,279,429 shares of the company's stock worth $261,543,000 after purchasing an additional 407,690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Kroger by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,610,646 shares of the company's stock worth $230,210,000 after buying an additional 11,541 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Kroger Price Performance
NYSE:KR traded up $0.30 on Tuesday, hitting $59.90. The company had a trading volume of 798,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,706,592. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $55.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.00. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $60.35.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current year.
Kroger Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 33.51%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
KR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.09.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Kroger
Kroger Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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