Optas LLC Takes $206,000 Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Optas LLC bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mission Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth $212,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Kroger by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 185,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,575,000 after purchasing an additional 22,946 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Kroger by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 19,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $296,000. Finally, Graypoint LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $291,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 1.4 %

KR opened at $56.57 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $40.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $55.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KR. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.