SYM FINANCIAL Corp Acquires 223 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

SYM FINANCIAL Corp lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,129 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Adirondack Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 1,628.1% in the 4th quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.0 %

KR opened at $61.65 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.11. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $44.48 and a one year high of $63.59. 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 company has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 144,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim started coverage on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 target price on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.80.

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.