Gallacher Capital Management LLC Purchases 2,842 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Gallacher Capital Management LLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 31.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,766 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,842 shares during the quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $538,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,220,000. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $39,619,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Kroger by 378.8% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 765,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,988,000 after purchasing an additional 605,591 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 4,810.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 567,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,955,000 after purchasing an additional 556,266 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,364,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,814,000 after buying an additional 548,240 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction 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 owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total transaction of $368,445.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR traded down $0.31 on Friday, reaching $54.78. 4,937,997 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,340,941. The stock has a market cap of $39.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. 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 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.67.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

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.