Ninety One UK Ltd Decreases Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Ninety One UK Ltd has reduced its stock position in The Kroger Co. by 9.1%, now owning approximately 1.2 million shares worth around $86 million.
• The Kroger Co. reported earnings of $1.04 per share in its latest quarter, surpassing estimates, while its revenue was slightly below expectations at $33.94 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, with a scheduled payout date on December 1st, reflecting a dividend yield of 2.1%.

Ninety One UK Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 9.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,198,638 shares of the company's stock after selling 119,516 shares during the quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd owned about 0.18% of Kroger worth $85,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. IFC Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company's stock worth $585,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,225,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its holdings in Kroger by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 19,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,182 shares of the company's stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,147,718.50. This represents a 4.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.5%

KR opened at $67.41 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $69.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.88 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

About Kroger

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.