Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Reduces Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lessened its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 15.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,777 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,177 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,889,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Kroger by 49.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 24,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,384,000 after buying an additional 7,989 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 18.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 156,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,961,000 after purchasing an additional 23,928 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $249,000. Finally, OneAscent Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Argus lifted their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research initiated coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. The trade was a 32.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $58.06 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.13. The company has a market capitalization of $42.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.31 and a fifty-two week high of $60.35.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

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.