ASB Consultores LLC Sells 1,571 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

ASB Consultores LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,571 shares during the quarter. ASB Consultores LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Kroger by 10.9% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,154,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,596,000 after acquiring an additional 211,400 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Kroger by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 13,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $658,000 after purchasing an additional 2,057 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 21.9% during the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 565,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,236,000 after purchasing an additional 101,450 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $432,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $1,536,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $55.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $53.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 43.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on KR. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

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.