Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. Raises Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 57.0% during the second quarter, bringing its total to 14,575 shares valued at over $1 million.
• Kroger reported earnings of $1.04 per share, exceeding estimates, while its revenue for the quarter was $33.94 billion, marginally below projections.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, with a yield of 2.0%, payable on December 1st.

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 57.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,575 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,293 shares during the quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,042,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 6,840.0% during the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $68.56 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $45.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $67.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.11. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $55.60 and a 52-week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's payout ratio is 35.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KR. Barclays initiated coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 target price (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Argus set a $85.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.50.

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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