The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Key Points

• Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its holdings in Kroger by 22.6% during Q2, now owning 201,386 shares valued at approximately $14.4 million.
• Kroger reported $1.04 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.00, while its revenue was $33.94 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, payable on December 1st, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.1%.

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 22.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 201,386 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 37,100 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt's holdings in Kroger were worth $14,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 115,687 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,298,000 after buying an additional 5,325 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at about $654,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays initiated coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Argus set a $85.00 price target on Kroger in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $73.63.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business'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 transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,834 shares of company stock worth $7,350,274 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $64.86. 2,188,034 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,212,620. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.88 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $69.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The company has a market cap of $42.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's payout ratio is 35.53%.

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.