The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd has increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 4.8%, now owning 115,687 shares valued at approximately $8.3 million.
• Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of Kroger stock for around $1.89 million, reducing his ownership by 21.29%.
• Kroger announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, with a payout ratio of 35.53%, to be distributed on December 1st.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 4.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,687 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,325 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Kroger were worth $8,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 1.6%

KR traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $64.53. 8,937,092 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,240,531. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.03. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.88 and a 1 year high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.The company's quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 102,834 shares of company stock valued at $7,350,274 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $72.70.

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.