Hsbc Holdings PLC Purchases 523,667 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 29.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,307,261 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 523,667 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.32% of Kroger worth $114,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, 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 value of $167,265.70. Following 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 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 company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. 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. Wolfe Research raised shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued 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, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.09.

Kroger Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $54.62 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $53.56 and its 200 day moving average is $53.79. The company has a market cap of $39.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s payout ratio is 43.69%.

Kroger Company 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.