Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Purchases 1,303 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,202 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hengehold Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kroger by 1.4% in the first quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 13,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% during the second quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.8% during the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 6,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. W Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 0.6% in the first quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 32,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group increased its position in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 4,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.09.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly 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.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $54.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $39.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.60 and its 200-day moving average is $53.79. 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 Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict 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 paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s payout ratio is 43.69%.

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.