The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 65,952 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,003 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 40.7% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 90,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,498,000 after acquiring an additional 26,079 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.5% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 121,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,078,000 after acquiring an additional 9,517 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 26,287.1% during the second quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 8,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 8,149 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 95.2% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 23,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 11,491 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 698.8% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,878,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,792,000 after acquiring an additional 1,643,307 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $58.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. 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 moving average price of $60.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.72. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $44.48 and a 12-month high of $63.59.

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

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.14.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was 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 owns 53,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.