The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,367 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,841 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Adirondack Trust Co. boosted its stake in Kroger by 1,628.1% in the 4th quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $65.04 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $60.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47. 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 Kroger Co. has a one year low of $45.17 and a one year high of $65.75.

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

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on KR shares. 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 research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.00.

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.