Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 86.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 219,629 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 101,989 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $10,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in Kroger by 6.3% in the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 29,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,672,000 after acquiring an additional 6,764 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Kroger by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 14,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $842,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth $1,443,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 3.6% during the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 7,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $56.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.83.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on KR. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

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.