Auxier Asset Management Has $18.40 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Auxier Asset Management lowered its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 368,538 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,590 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 2.9% of Auxier Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Auxier Asset Management owned approximately 0.05% of Kroger worth $18,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Trexquant Investment LP raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 157.6% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 78,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after acquiring an additional 48,201 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $252,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $63,115,000 after purchasing an additional 261,368 shares during the period. Commerce Bank boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 29.9% during the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 37,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,698,000 after purchasing an additional 8,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TCW Group Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $477,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $55.39 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $58.34. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The company 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The stock was 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 directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 9th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted 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 shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

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.