Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC Has $13.58 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 15.9%, now holding 200,579 shares valued at $13.58 million.
• Kroger's quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.49, exceeding expectations, although revenue fell slightly from the previous year.
• The company has announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.32 to $0.35, representing a dividend yield of 2.0%.

Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 15.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 200,579 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,863 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises approximately 0.7% of Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $13,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% in 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 lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock worth $20,834,000 after acquiring an additional 24,849 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company's stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 67.2% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock traded down $0.57 on Thursday, reaching $67.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,584,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,902,458. The business's fifty day moving average price is $71.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.66. 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 cap of $44.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $50.69 and a twelve month high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 38.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 target price (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Roth Capital upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total value of $1,215,690.25. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% 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 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.