The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Ascent Group LLC

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC increased its Kroger shares by 299.5%, owning 74,871 shares valued at approximately $5.37 million after acquiring 56,131 shares in Q2.
• Kroger's latest quarterly earnings report showed $1.04 earnings per share, exceeding estimates by $0.04, with a revenue of $33.94 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share to be paid on December 1st, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.1%.

Ascent Group LLC grew its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 299.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,871 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,131 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $5,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 6,840.0% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $66.30 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $68.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.98. The firm has a market cap of $43.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.83, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.57. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.88 and a 1 year high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Kroger

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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