The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stake Cut by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 356,747 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,254 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $21,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.9% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 50,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,872,000 after acquiring an additional 7,609 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 220.9% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares in the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 179,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,239,000 after buying an additional 2,060 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 127,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,568,000 after buying an additional 6,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the third quarter worth approximately $566,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Melius downgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 258,785 shares of company stock valued at $17,476,866. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Trading Up 0.5 %

Kroger stock opened at $68.26 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $65.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.38. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $71.93. The stock has a market cap of $45.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

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.