1834 Investment Advisors Co. Sells 10,194 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• 1834 Investment Advisors Co. has reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 7.4%, selling 10,194 shares, and currently holds 127,042 shares valued at $9.1 million.
• Major institutional investors like Wellington Management Group and Alyeska Investment Group have significantly increased their positions in Kroger, indicating strong interest in the stock.
• Kroger will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.35 on December 1, representing a dividend yield of 2.1% and a payout ratio of 35.53%.

1834 Investment Advisors Co. decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 7.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 127,042 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,194 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for 1.2% of 1834 Investment Advisors Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. 1834 Investment Advisors Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Kroger by 85.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945,848 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $178,385,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company's stock worth $276,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059,574 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 7,363.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock worth $115,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $62,730,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KR. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm raised Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $75.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at $6,989,581.50. This trade represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $65.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.59. The business's 50 day moving average is $69.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.95. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.88 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

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.

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