Eisler Capital Management Ltd. Raises Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Eisler Capital Management Ltd. increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 85.2%, owning 167,555 shares valued at approximately $11.3 million after purchasing an additional 77,072 shares.
• Kroger has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.35 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous $0.32 dividend, with an annualized yield of 2.0%.
• The company reported earnings per share of $1.49 for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations, while its fiscal year 2025 EPS guidance is set between 4.600-4.800.

Eisler Capital Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 85.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,555 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 77,072 shares during the period. Eisler Capital Management Ltd.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $11,346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 949,956 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,091,000 after purchasing an additional 12,577 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $1,296,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,829,401 shares of the company's stock worth $478,768,000 after acquiring an additional 916,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 18,024 shares of the company's stock worth $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 2,274 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $69.06 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $71.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.65. The company has a market cap of $45.64 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $50.69 and a 52-week high of $74.90. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The business's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business'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 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 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 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Roth Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.58.

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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