Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Grows Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 65.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,103 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 29,825 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Sanders Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 22,662,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,168,000 after purchasing an additional 498,995 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,592,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $575,546,000 after acquiring an additional 503,839 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,833,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,551,000 after acquiring an additional 511,978 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,863,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,610,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,739,000 after acquiring an additional 118,209 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $53.16. 1,304,861 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,880,582. The business’s 50 day moving average is $55.79 and its 200-day moving average is $49.56. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34. The company has a market capitalization of $38.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on KR. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 directly owns 105,298 shares in the company, valued at $5,894,582.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.