The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Groupama Asset Managment

Key Points

• Groupama Asset Management has reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 92.6%, owning only 12,191 shares after selling 152,134 shares in the first quarter.
• Kroger reported a $1.49 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, but its revenue was down 0.3% year-over-year.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.35 from $0.32, with an annualized dividend yield of 2.0%.

Groupama Asset Managment decreased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 92.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,191 shares of the company's stock after selling 152,134 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Kroger were worth $813,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank OZK lifted its holdings in Kroger by 20.5% in the first quarter. Bank OZK now owns 33,153 shares of the company's stock worth $2,244,000 after acquiring an additional 5,651 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 28.7% in the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 37,323 shares of the company's stock worth $2,526,000 after acquiring an additional 8,325 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 13.0% in the first quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 4,422 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 30.2% in the first quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,072 shares of the company's stock worth $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 3,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Kroger by 85.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock worth $433,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945,848 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $1.9870 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $69.4330. 6,981,074 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,605,369. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $50.69 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90. 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 firm has a market cap of $45.89 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. 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 dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KR. Roth Capital raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the firm'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 owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.