The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,108,320 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,399 shares during the period. Kroger comprises approximately 1.4% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.43% of Kroger worth $190,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 53.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 5,853 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.7% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 35,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after buying an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth $1,252,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Kroger by 10.6% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 26,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,494,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Kroger by 7.2% in the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 205,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,761 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total transaction of $719,070.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 223,244 shares of company stock worth $15,001,418. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $66.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $48.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $68.51. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $64.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.96 billion. As a group, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

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.