The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 38.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 393,257 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 109,903 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $19,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $568,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $183,000. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 10,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 1,966 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Kroger by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 690,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,134,000 after acquiring an additional 44,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $51.50 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.17 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company had revenue of $45.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $44.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 43.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KR. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.64.

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.