Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 207,024 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Schroder Investment Management Group reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,037,294 shares of the company’s stock after selling 207,024 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.14% of Kroger worth $63,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of KR. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of Kroger by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 26,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,494,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 205,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,761,000 after purchasing an additional 13,761 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth $416,000. Tradition Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 139.2% during the 3rd quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 7,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 26,639 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at $231,524.40. The trade was a 56.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 223,244 shares of company stock worth $15,001,418. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $67.77 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year high of $68.51. 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 cap of $49.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.23 and a 200-day moving average of $60.52.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

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.