Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Purchases 5,637 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 180.4%, acquiring an additional 5,637 shares, bringing its total to 8,762 shares valued at approximately $628,000.
• Several large investors, including Dimensional Fund Advisors and Wellington Management Group, have recently boosted their stakes in Kroger, resulting in 80.93% of the stock being owned by institutional investors.
• Kroger announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, scheduled for payment on December 1st, representing a 2.1% dividend yield.

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 180.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,762 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,637 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $628,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,299,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,863,000 after acquiring an additional 186,302 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Kroger by 85.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock worth $433,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,945,848 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company's stock worth $342,999,000 after purchasing an additional 31,477 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in Kroger by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company's stock worth $276,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $178,385,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 target price (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. Argus set a $85.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Roth Capital upgraded Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.63.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $66.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.98. The company has a market cap of $44.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.57. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.88 and a 1-year high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion during 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 for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.53%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $272,834.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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