The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by DGS Capital Management LLC

DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,057 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger 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 transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. This represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 58,821 shares of company stock worth $3,445,490 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Six 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.31.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.36. 716,656 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,710,125. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.81. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $43.51 and a 1-year high of $63.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market cap of $45.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.86%.

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.