Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Buys Shares of 6,750 The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 6,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $413,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Adirondack Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Kroger by 1,628.1% in the fourth quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE KR opened at $64.81 on Friday. 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’s 50 day moving average is $62.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.61. The company has a market capitalization of $46.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $48.21 and a 1-year high of $66.26.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at $8,444,361.80. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $61.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.19.

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.