The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Kroger by 41.2%, owning 245,728 shares valued at $16,633,000 at the end of the first quarter.
• Kroger announced a dividend increase to $0.35 per share, up from $0.32, with an annualized yield of 2.1%.
• Kroger's quarterly earnings results showed EPS of $1.49, surpassing analysts' estimates, despite a revenue decline of 0.3% year-over-year.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 41.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 245,728 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 71,749 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $16,633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $264,207,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Kroger by 85.3% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock worth $433,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,945,848 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth $178,385,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $123,829,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $67.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $44.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%.The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Roth Capital boosted their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.58.

Kroger Company 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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