Todd Asset Management LLC Has $39.62 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Todd Asset Management LLC grew its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 43.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 585,335 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 178,520 shares during the quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $39,621,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. AIA Group Ltd grew its position in Kroger by 248.2% during the first quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 43,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,946,000 after buying an additional 31,024 shares in the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $200,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $51,000. CCM Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $2,108,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $178,385,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $74.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $49.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $50.69 and a 12-month high of $74.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.98.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 38.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Melius Research raised Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.16.

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.