Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Sells 92,483 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lessened its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 240,952 shares of the company’s stock after selling 92,483 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $13,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 218.8% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $42,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’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 directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 32.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $60.50. 3,117,429 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,654,938. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.97 and a 52 week high of $61.18. The firm has a market cap of $43.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.33.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 33.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KR. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. 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 note on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.55.

Kroger 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.