The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management has reduced its holdings in Kroger by 3.2%, now owning approximately 6.16 million shares worth $417 million after selling 202,017 shares in the first quarter.
• Kroger has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35, which is an increase from its previous quarterly dividend of $0.32, giving it a 2.1% yield.
• Kroger's latest earnings report showed a net revenue of $45.12 billion, slightly below analysts' expectations, although the company reported earnings per share of $1.49, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.04.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,161,947 shares of the company's stock after selling 202,017 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned approximately 0.93% of Kroger worth $417,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after purchasing an additional 24,849 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 67.2% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR traded up $1.15 on Friday, hitting $68.38. 8,310,559 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,735,538. The business's 50 day moving average price is $70.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.86. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.51 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $45.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

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. Equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.35 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays initiated 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. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. 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. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $622,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,788,314. The trade was a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in 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.