Verity Asset Management Inc. Has $240,000 Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Verity Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,185 shares of the company’s stock after selling 204 shares during the period. Verity Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Csenge Advisory Group raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 4,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 102.2% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 23,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 12,091 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $595,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 53.3% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 9,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 3,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,327,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Argus raised their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.09.

Kroger Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of KR opened at $59.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $55.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.00. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $60.24.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

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.