Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 11.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,244,536 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 123,007 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.19% of Kroger worth $84,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter worth $25,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter worth $31,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 46.7% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger
In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at $3,642,274.40. The trade was a 25.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Kroger Stock Performance
NYSE KR traded down $1.9870 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.4330. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,981,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,605,369. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $70.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.58. The company has a market cap of $45.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%.The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Kroger Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 38.15%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have commented on KR. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays began coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.58.
View Our Latest Analysis on Kroger
Kroger Profile
(
Free Report)
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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