The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by Sienna Gestion

Sienna Gestion raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,144 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the quarter. Sienna Gestion’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,898,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 255.6% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 101.6% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $54.62 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.79. The company has a market capitalization of $39.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $42.10 and a twelve month high of $58.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $984,975.39. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.