The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by Ballentine Partners LLC

Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,604 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $954,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 40.7% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 90,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,498,000 after buying an additional 26,079 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Kroger by 8.5% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 121,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,078,000 after acquiring an additional 9,517 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 26,287.1% during the second quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 8,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 8,149 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 95.2% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 23,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 11,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 698.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,878,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,643,307 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $58.78 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $60.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.72. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $44.48 and a 52-week high of $63.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.14.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,304,366.08. This represents a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares in the company, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.