Calton & Associates Inc. Buys Shares of 7,105 The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Calton & Associates Inc. acquired 7,105 shares of Kroger Co. valued at approximately $481,000 during the first quarter, reflecting increased institutional interest in the company.
• Kroger has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.35 per share from the previous $0.32, showing commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• The stock ratings for Kroger show a mix, with some analysts downgrading it to a "buy" while others increase the price target, indicating varied expectations about its performance.

Calton & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 7,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Kroger by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after acquiring an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Kroger by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 67.2% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of KR stock traded down $0.10 on Friday, reaching $67.74. 5,286,842 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,036,919. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $50.69 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.59. The business's 50 day moving average price is $70.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.75.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%.The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on KR. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.58.

Kroger 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.