Intrust Bank NA Acquires 1,115 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Intrust Bank NA boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,350 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the quarter. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 223,244 shares of company stock worth $15,001,418. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KR. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.88.

Kroger Stock Up 1.0 %

Kroger stock opened at $66.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $48.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $64.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.31.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

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.