Candriam S.C.A. Sells 17,182 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its holdings in Kroger Co. by 24.0%, selling 17,182 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 54,299 shares valued at approximately $3.68 million.
• Kroger's most recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.49, surpassing expectations, but revenue fell 0.3% from the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.35 per share, effective September 1st, with a new annualized dividend yield of 2.0%.

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 24.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,299 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,182 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,299,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,863,000 after purchasing an additional 186,302 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,829,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $478,768,000 after purchasing an additional 916,230 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 85.3% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,945,848 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Kroger by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,363,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $389,156,000 after acquiring an additional 865,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 0.6% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company's stock valued at $342,999,000 after acquiring an additional 31,477 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.58.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $0.6040 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $70.1640. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,416,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,784,704. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $71.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.64. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $50.69 and a 52 week high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio 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.