The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Islay Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Islay Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 30.5% during the first quarter, now owning 19,605 shares valued at approximately $1.3 million.
• Kroger recently reported a quarterly EPS of $1.49, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.45, despite a slight revenue decline of 0.3% year-over-year.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.35 per share, representing a yield of 2.0%, with the dividend payout ratio currently at 38.15%.

Islay Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 30.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,605 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,583 shares during the quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,327,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $69.4330 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The firm has a market cap of $45.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. Kroger's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.58.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $272,834.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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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