Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Buys 8,325 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. has increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 28.7%, owning 37,323 shares valued at approximately $2.5 million following the purchase of an additional 8,325 shares in the first quarter.
• Kroger's executives, including EVP Yael Cosset and Director Clyde R. Moore, have recently sold a combined total of 198,948 shares of company stock, indicating insider selling trends despite the company’s ongoing performance.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.32 to $0.35 per share, representing an annualized yield of approximately 2.0%, effective September 1st, with a payout ratio of 38.15%.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 28.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,323 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,325 shares during the quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. IFC Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company's stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,182 shares of the company's stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 7,187 shares of the company's stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total transaction of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,224,222.76. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR traded down $1.9870 on Friday, reaching $69.4330. The stock had a trading volume of 6,981,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,605,369. The company has a market capitalization of $45.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $50.69 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.58.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Roth Capital upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.58.

About Kroger

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.