Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 88,512 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 31.7%, selling 88,512 shares, leaving the firm with 190,725 shares valued at approximately $12.91 million.
• Kroger recently reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.49 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates by $0.04, despite a slight revenue decline of 0.3% compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.35 per share, which reflects a 2.1% yield, up from the previous dividend of $0.32.

Intech Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 31.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 190,725 shares of the company's stock after selling 88,512 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $12,910,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 40,038 shares of the company's stock worth $2,710,000 after purchasing an additional 6,547 shares in the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $553,000. Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $235,000. Alaethes Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Alaethes Wealth LLC now owns 32,320 shares of the company's stock worth $2,188,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $619,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of KR opened at $67.03 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 2.16 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 stock's 50-day moving average price is $70.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 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 analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%.Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 38.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,642,274.40. This trade represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total value of $622,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,788,314. This represents a 6.62% decrease in their position. 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 90 days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated 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, August 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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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