Metis Global Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,403 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 388,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,269,000 after buying an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 67,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,882,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 20,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 6,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parthenon LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $58.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $42.10 and a twelve month high of $60.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $56.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.10. The firm has a market cap of $41.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on KR. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

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.