Caprock Group LLC Sells 2,140 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Caprock Group LLC reduced its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,933 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,140 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, 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 transaction of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $58.06 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $56.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.13. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.31 and a one year high of $60.35.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 33.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus raised their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

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.