5,653 Shares in The Kroger Co. $KR Acquired by First Hawaiian Bank

Key Points

• First Hawaiian Bank acquired 5,653 shares of The Kroger Co., valued at approximately $383,000, during the first quarter.
• Insiders sold a total of 198,948 shares of Kroger stock worth over $14 million within the last three months.
• Kroger recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.35, representing a positive change from the previous amount, and has a current annualized dividend yield of 2.1%.

First Hawaiian Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $383,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 122,567 shares of the company's stock worth $7,495,000 after purchasing an additional 6,518 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 64,543 shares of the company's stock worth $3,947,000 after purchasing an additional 5,617 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 359,121 shares of the company's stock worth $21,960,000 after purchasing an additional 4,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,444,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. This trade represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $67.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The business's 50-day moving average is $70.31 and its 200-day moving average is $68.95. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.56 and a 1 year high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The company 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 firm's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Roth Capital boosted their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.58.

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.

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