Sowell Financial Services LLC Buys 3,869 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 8.1%, owning a total of 51,805 shares valued at approximately $3.72 million as of the second quarter.
• Several hedge funds have modified their positions in Kroger, with Farther Finance Advisors LLC significantly increasing its holdings by 69.6% during the same period.
• Kroger announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, with an ex-dividend date of November 14th, representing an annualized yield of 2.1%.

Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 8.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,805 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,869 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $3,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Arrow Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $284,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 24,468 shares of the company's stock worth $1,755,000 after buying an additional 10,039 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $474,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 22.6% during the second quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 201,386 shares of the company's stock worth $14,435,000 after acquiring an additional 37,100 shares during the period. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Kroger by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 115,687 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,298,000 after purchasing an additional 5,325 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:KR traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $64.53. 8,937,092 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,053,847. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.88 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.38, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.02. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on KR. Roth Mkm upgraded shares of Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $75.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $72.70.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 102,834 shares of company stock worth $7,350,274 over the last ninety days. Company 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.