Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Acquires 122,040 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 35.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 465,208 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 122,040 shares during the quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Kroger worth $23,228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 255.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 101.6% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth $29,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $56.51 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $58.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Kroger 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 directly 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 is available through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at $4,142,036.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,010 shares of company stock worth $444,056 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on KR. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 9th. One equities 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.36.

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.