Tri Ri Asset Management Corp Makes New $4.04 Million Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Tri Ri Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 70,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,000. Kroger comprises 4.5% of Tri Ri Asset Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. This represents a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:KR opened at $60.75 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $43.51 and a twelve month high of $61.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $57.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.57. The company has a market cap of $43.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KR. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Kroger from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Kroger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.09.

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.