Ledyard National Bank Sells 2,480 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Ledyard National Bank decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 310,007 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,480 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up 1.5% of Ledyard National Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Chase Investment Counsel Corp lifted its position in Kroger by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 19,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $868,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 9,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $714,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Finally, Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 14,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $643,000 after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 0.1 %

KR stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $55.57. The company had a trading volume of 3,702,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,893,778. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $54.40 and a 200 day moving average of $48.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The company has a market capitalization of $40.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.17.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at $2,615,091.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

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.