The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 884,661 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,600 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for 2.5% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $54,097,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 25.5% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 212,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,170,000 after purchasing an additional 43,143 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth $300,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 33,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,892,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 18.9% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth about $250,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total transaction of $1,556,446.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 115,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,965,563.32. The trade was a 18.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $65.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $44.49 and a 12 month high of $65.75. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 33.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $61.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.00.

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.