The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by Leavell Investment Management Inc.

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 36.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,281 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,750 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Adirondack Trust Co. grew its stake in Kroger by 1,628.1% in the 4th quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 53,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction 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 $6,965,563.32. The trade was a 18.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE KR opened at $65.66 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $45.17 and a one year high of $66.18. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $61.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Kroger announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.19.

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.