Two Sigma Advisers LP Decreases Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Two Sigma Advisers LP reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 55.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 360,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 448,600 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Kroger were worth $22,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of KR stock opened at $69.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $73.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $68.70 and its 200 day moving average is $64.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.96 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Melius raised shares of Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.06.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.