Syon Capital LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Syon Capital LLC lifted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 34.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,072 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares during the quarter. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 370.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 430.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 613.0% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 705 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.49. The stock had a trading volume of 3,470,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,908,465. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The company has a market capitalization of $40.05 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $54.08 and its 200 day moving average is $48.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.17.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 49,180 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,322. Corporate insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

About Kroger

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.