Drake & Associates LLC Has $2.95 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Drake & Associates LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 41.9% during the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to approximately $2.95 million, making Kroger the 23rd largest holding in their portfolio.
• Analysts have given Kroger a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with target prices ranging from $75.00 to $82.00.
• Kroger's recent earnings report surpassed expectations with an EPS of $1.04, and the company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, set to be paid on December 1st.

Drake & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 41.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,178 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,152 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 0.7% of Drake & Associates LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Drake & Associates LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $2,954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its stake in Kroger by 6,840.0% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Barclays began coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.63.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $64.83 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.03. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.88 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 35.53%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This trade represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.

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