Forum Financial Management LP Purchases 254 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,913 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP’s holdings in Kroger were worth $545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $1,113,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Kroger by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,052,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,717,000 after buying an additional 148,221 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the third quarter worth approximately $566,000. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,210,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,246,000 after purchasing an additional 37,222 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 3.3 %

KR stock opened at $71.30 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $71.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.80.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim raised their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius cut Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 290,056 shares of company stock worth $19,637,066 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Company 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.