Signet Financial Management LLC Sells 669 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Signet Financial Management LLC decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock after selling 669 shares during the quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $156,126,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Kroger by 82.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,667,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,642,000 after buying an additional 2,552,989 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at about $71,410,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $42,220,000. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 32.3% in the first quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 3,826,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,890,000 after buying an additional 933,009 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:KR opened at $55.26 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $39.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.67, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on KR. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.17.

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.