Monument Capital Management Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Monument Capital Management acquired a new position in The Kroger Co. by purchasing 40,447 shares valued at approximately $2.9 million during the 2nd quarter.
• Kroger reported a quarterly EPS of $1.04, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.00, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, representing a 2.1% yield.
• The stock is rated as a "Moderate Buy" by analysts, with a consensus price target of $73.63 and notable target upgrades from various brokerages recently.

Monument Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 40,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,901,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in Kroger by 6,840.0% during the 2nd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Kroger Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of KR opened at $67.54 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.88 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The firm's 50 day moving average is $68.54 and its 200-day moving average is $69.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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