National Bank of Canada FI Increases Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 467,117 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,999 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Kroger were worth $21,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Todd Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 455,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,806,000 after acquiring an additional 9,663 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $257,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $647,000. Power Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $766,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,924,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $55.26 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $39.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.66, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.75.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.17.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,615,091.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767 over the last three months. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.