The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Key Points

• Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 7.3% in the second quarter, selling 25,574 shares and holding a total of 323,806 shares worth approximately $23.2 million.
• Several institutional investors have recently increased their holdings in Kroger, indicating renewed interest, with 80.93% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Kroger reported a quarterly EPS of $1.04, which exceeded analysts' expectations of $1.00, and also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35, reflecting a 2.0% yield.

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 7.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 323,806 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,574 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $23,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 10.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 25,209 shares of the company's stock worth $1,706,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 8.8% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock worth $20,834,000 after acquiring an additional 24,849 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 36.6% in the first quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,979 shares of the company's stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 2,137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 20.0% in the first quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the company's stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $75.00 price target (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.50.

Kroger Stock Up 0.4%

KR stock opened at $69.13 on Friday. 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 Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $55.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company's 50 day moving average is $68.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.12. The stock has a market cap of $45.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.