The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock Holdings Raised by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 168,483 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,092 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 0.7% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $10,303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $66.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $64.04 and a 200-day moving average of $60.43. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The firm has a market cap of $48.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 223,244 shares of company stock valued at $15,001,418. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Kroger

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.