GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases Shares of 5,029 The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 370.1% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 430.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 613.0% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $55.91 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $54.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.16. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The company has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus 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.