Alberta Investment Management Corp Lowers Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Alberta Investment Management Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 67.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 53,402 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Kroger by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 212,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,170,000 after acquiring an additional 43,143 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 88.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 103,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 48,843 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 6.9% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 20,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after buying an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $291,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4,697.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 448,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,682,000 after buying an additional 438,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE KR opened at $65.03 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $46.96 and a 1 year high of $66.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $47.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $61.71 and a 200 day moving average of $58.12.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.86%.

Kroger declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.19.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,965,563.32. This trade represents a 18.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 217,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. The trade was a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% 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.