Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Sells 106,272 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ trimmed its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 22.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 369,538 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106,272 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned 0.05% of Kroger worth $18,451,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Maj Invest Holding A S bought a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $185,913,000. Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in Kroger by 5.0% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Kroger by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,591,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $678,562,000 after purchasing an additional 723,771 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in Kroger by 337.4% during the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 922,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,060,000 after purchasing an additional 711,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Kroger by 127.2% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,194,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,333,000 after purchasing an additional 668,440 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $55.39 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.84. 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 company has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s payout ratio is 43.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’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 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Argus increased their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

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.