3,880 Shares in The Kroger Co. $KR Purchased by Aprio Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Aprio Wealth Management LLC has invested approximately $263,000 in Kroger, acquiring 3,880 shares in the first quarter, highlighting ongoing interest from institutional investors.
• Kroger recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.32 to $0.35, representing a 2.1% yield with a dividend payout ratio of 38.15%.
• The company's latest earnings report showed a net margin of 1.89% and a slight revenue decline, with EPS beating analyst estimates by $0.04.

Aprio Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $263,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 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 buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Down 1.2%

KR stock traded down $0.82 on Wednesday, reaching $66.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,927,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,036,512. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.83. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $50.69 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The firm has a market cap of $44.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. 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 yield of 2.1%. Kroger's payout ratio is 38.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on KR. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Roth Capital upped their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 49,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,642,274.40. This trade represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% 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 three months. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.