Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 723,771 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,591,402 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 723,771 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.88% of Kroger worth $678,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 255.6% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 101.6% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth about $29,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $55.91 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $40.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s fifty day moving average is $53.38 and its 200 day moving average is $53.69. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $42.10 and a twelve month high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 43.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Wolfe Research upgraded Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Argus raised their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.