Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $17.26 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• The Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its shares in The Kroger Co. by 8.5% in the second quarter, resulting in holdings worth $17.26 million by the end of that period.
• Kroger reported earnings per share of $1.04 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.00, despite its revenue falling short of estimates at $33.94 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35, which will be paid to investors on December 1st, reflecting an annual yield of 2.1%.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 240,657 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,325 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Kroger were worth $17,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $65.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $43.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.88 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The business's 50 day moving average is $69.44 and its 200-day moving average is $68.96.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total transaction of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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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