Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Makes New $4.02 Million Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 88,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,022,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 4,810.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 567,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,955,000 after purchasing an additional 556,266 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 284,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,715,000 after purchasing an additional 11,707 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,380,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,115,000 after purchasing an additional 261,368 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 156,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,143,000 after purchasing an additional 17,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $671,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $51.98 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. 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 stock has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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. 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger 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.