Maj Invest Holding A S Sells 326,544 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Maj Invest Holding A S has reduced its holdings in Kroger by 15.3%, selling 326,544 shares in the second quarter, leaving it with approximately 1.8 million shares, which is about 4.5% of its investment portfolio.
• Kroger recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 to be paid on December 1st, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.0% and a payout ratio of 35.53%.
• Equity analysts maintain a positive outlook on Kroger, with several rating the stock as "buy" or "strong-buy" and setting an average target price of $74.50.

Maj Invest Holding A S lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,801,686 shares of the company's stock after selling 326,544 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises approximately 4.5% of Maj Invest Holding A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Maj Invest Holding A S owned about 0.27% of Kroger worth $129,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Monument Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,901,000. Advocate Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 16.6% in the second quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 121,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,707,000 after purchasing an additional 17,284 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its position in Kroger by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 51,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,716,000 after buying an additional 3,869 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Roth Capital raised shares of Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.50.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $69.18 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $67.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.12. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $55.60 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $45.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.The firm had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger's payout ratio is 35.53%.

Kroger 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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