BDF Gestion Acquires New Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

BDF Gestion acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 63,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,147,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Kroger by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 31,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 3,947 shares during the period. RDA Financial Network increased its position in shares of Kroger by 7.3% during the second quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 7,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 24.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 32,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,636,000 after buying an additional 6,338 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank increased its position in shares of Kroger by 805.7% during the second quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 11,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 9,829 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 14.9% during the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 27,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,385,000 after buying an additional 3,598 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $53.92. 2,847,370 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,052,704. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $52.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.92 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $45.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $44.86 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.50%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 43.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on KR. Argus raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $57.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.64.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Kroger

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.