Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Grows Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management increased its Kroger stake by 162.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 48,430 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 78,156 shares valued at about $4.88 million.
• Analyst sentiment on Kroger remains mixed: Wells Fargo downgraded the stock, while Jefferies kept a buy rating; overall, the stock currently carries an average Hold rating with a $74.56 target price.
• Kroger reported quarterly EPS of $1.28, beating estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, payable June 1, for an annualized yield of about 2.1%.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 162.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,156 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 48,430 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 85.0% during the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 857,667 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,828,000 after acquiring an additional 394,060 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Kroger by 45.5% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 855,810 shares of the company's stock worth $57,690,000 after purchasing an additional 267,434 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 401.3% during the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 19,470 shares of the company's stock worth $1,293,000 after purchasing an additional 15,586 shares in the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 64.7% in the third quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 45,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,051,000 after purchasing an additional 17,777 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 7.0% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 684,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,173,000 after purchasing an additional 44,619 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Kroger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.56.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $65.68 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.93, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.46. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co NYSE: KR is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, offering a wide range of retail grocery and related services. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates a portfolio of supermarket and multi-department store banners and provides customers with fresh foods, packaged groceries, deli and bakery items, meat and seafood, produce, and prepared foods. Kroger's stores commonly include pharmacy services and fuel centers, positioning the company as a broad-based neighborhood retail destination for everyday needs.

In addition to traditional in-store retailing, Kroger manufactures and distributes a variety of private-label brands and operates its own food production and supply-chain facilities.

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