The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Ledyard National Bank

Ledyard National Bank lessened its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 310,007 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,480 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 1.5% of Ledyard National Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Kroger in the third quarter valued at $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 370.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 430.8% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 613.0% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total transaction of $368,445.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,615,091.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767 in the last 90 days. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $55.57. The company had a trading volume of 3,702,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,893,778. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $58.34. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.37. The company has a market capitalization of $40.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

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.