O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Purchases 68,516 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 29.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 302,444 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 68,516 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $17,279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KR. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $291,000. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 29,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,621 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,525,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,729,000 after purchasing an additional 119,845 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 1.8 %

KR stock traded down $1.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.85. The stock had a trading volume of 3,028,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,196,038. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $38.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.45. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The company’s 50 day moving average is $52.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.79.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $45.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.86 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.51%. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 39.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total transaction of $1,693,450.98. Following the completion of 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 link. In other news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were 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 directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total transaction of $368,445.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,615,091.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,867 shares of company stock valued at $2,170,956. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kroger Company 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.