The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 10.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 109,743 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,760 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SouthState Corp grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 334.3% in the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 370.1% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,615,091.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,615,091.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $50.76 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $52.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.86. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34. The firm has a market cap of $36.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The firm had revenue of $45.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.51 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.09%. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.30.

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.