The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Forsta AP Fonden

Forsta AP Fonden trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 123,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86,100 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,176,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sanders Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 23,786,389 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,087,276,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123,427 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,453,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $660,653,000 after purchasing an additional 214,852 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $229,863,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Kroger by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,610,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,210,000 after purchasing an additional 11,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maj Invest Holding A S increased its position in shares of Kroger by 35.1% during the second quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 4,395,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,456,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141,029 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $55.91 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.66. The firm has a market cap of $40.36 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on KR shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.