The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lessened its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 7.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 251,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,600 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $17,044,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Kroger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH raised its position in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $65.52 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $68.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.04. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 138,638 shares of company stock worth $9,632,165. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Melius upgraded Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.06.

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.