The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Farther Finance Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. by 69.6% during the second quarter, now owning over 24,468 shares valued at approximately $1.75 million.
• Kroger recently announced a $0.35 quarterly dividend scheduled for payment on December 1st, resulting in an annual yield of 2.2%.
• The company reported $1.04 EPS in its latest earnings, exceeding consensus estimates, with revenues reaching $33.94 billion for the quarter.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 69.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,468 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,039 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,755,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Kroger by 85.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945,848 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $178,385,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in Kroger by 101.7% in the first quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,485,000 after acquiring an additional 2,059,574 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 7,363.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,506,000 after acquiring an additional 1,683,535 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $62,730,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $64.53 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.88 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The stock has a market cap 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $69.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $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 earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 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 firm had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. The firm'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. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Roth Capital raised Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the sale, the director owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,834 shares of company stock valued at $7,350,274 over the last quarter. Corporate 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.

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