Global Retirement Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Global Retirement Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 17.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,028 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,522 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 7.2% during the third quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 6.5% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 35,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,155 shares in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 7.9% during the third quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 47,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 57.1% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 537,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,820,000 after purchasing an additional 195,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:KR opened at $56.35 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.84. 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 company has a market capitalization of $40.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 0.87 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 the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.09.

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.