Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 393,869 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,426 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $24,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Adirondack Trust Co. boosted its stake in Kroger by 1,628.1% during the fourth 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. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 191,040 shares of company stock valued at $12,805,838 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Up 2.0 %

Kroger stock opened at $66.40 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $62.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.61. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $48.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.96 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.88.

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.