The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 30.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,629 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,752 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,249,307,000 after buying an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $470,561,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 299.6% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 95.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,658,000 after buying an additional 1,010,457 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $62.95 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.60. The stock has a market cap of $38.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.14, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.60 and a 52-week high of $76.58.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.73.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, offering a wide range of retail grocery and related services. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates a portfolio of supermarket and multi-department store banners and provides customers with fresh foods, packaged groceries, deli and bakery items, meat and seafood, produce, and prepared foods. Kroger’s stores commonly include pharmacy services and fuel centers, positioning the company as a broad-based neighborhood retail destination for everyday needs.

In addition to traditional in-store retailing, Kroger manufactures and distributes a variety of private-label brands and operates its own food production and supply-chain facilities.