Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Has $218,000 Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,773 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $739,000 after buying an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 29,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,672,000 after buying an additional 6,764 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 14,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,443,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 7,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of KR opened at $55.57 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $53.05 and its 200-day moving average is $47.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.17.

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.