National Bank of Canada FI Has $21.61 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 467,117 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,999 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.06% of Kroger worth $21,606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 22,662,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,168,000 after buying an additional 498,995 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,833,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,551,000 after purchasing an additional 511,978 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,492,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,023,000 after purchasing an additional 78,710 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in Kroger by 0.3% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 4,005,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,242,000 after buying an additional 10,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,619,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,246,000 after acquiring an additional 50,177 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $55.26 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $39.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $55.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.75. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim raised their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total transaction of $1,693,450.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,894,582.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total transaction of $1,693,450.98. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares in the company, valued at $5,894,582.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767. 1.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.