Sigma Planning Corp Sells 18,821 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Sigma Planning Corp lowered its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 64.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 10,512 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,821 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KR. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 72,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,314,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 13,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 2,359 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc increased its holdings in Kroger by 21.5% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 816,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,326,000 after purchasing an additional 144,448 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $515,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its position in Kroger by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 31,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $55.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $42.10 and a twelve month high of $58.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $54.08 and a 200-day moving average of $48.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction 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 $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

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.