The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

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American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 17.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,142,297 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 171,275 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.17% of Kroger worth $77,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at $3,642,274.40. The trade was 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 worth $14,422,926 in the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:KR traded up $1.0120 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.7320. 5,309,957 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,712,798. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $50.69 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.44. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $47.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. 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 fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.15%.

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.