Sigma Planning Corp Has $480,000 Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 64.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,512 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,821 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.3% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 22,662,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,014,168,000 after purchasing an additional 498,995 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Kroger by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,833,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,551,000 after buying an additional 511,978 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,492,143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,023,000 after buying an additional 78,710 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 4,005,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,242,000 after acquiring an additional 10,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,619,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,246,000 after acquiring an additional 50,177 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $55.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.16.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price 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. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average 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.