Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Has $426,000 Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,326 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 4,810.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 567,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,955,000 after buying an additional 556,266 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Kroger by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 284,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,715,000 after purchasing an additional 11,707 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 156,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,143,000 after buying an additional 17,380 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Kroger by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,647,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,175,000 after purchasing an additional 115,264 shares during the period. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in Kroger by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 102,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,671,000 after purchasing an additional 37,892 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total transaction of $368,445.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total transaction of $368,445.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $53.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.49. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $55.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. StockNews.com raised Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.17.

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.