Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Sells 72,859 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec has reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. by 30.3%, selling 72,859 shares, leaving it with a total of 167,649 shares valued at approximately $11.35 million.
• Kroger reported earnings of $1.49 per share in its latest quarterly results, surpassing analysts' expectations and has set its FY 2025 earnings guidance between $4.600 and $4.800 per share.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.32 to $0.35 per share, representing an annualized rate of $1.40 and a yield of 2.0%.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec cut its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 167,649 shares of the company's stock after selling 72,859 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Kroger were worth $11,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Kroger by 1.7% during the first 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 period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in Kroger by 3.7% during the first 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 period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 8.8% during the first 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 period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Kroger by 4.0% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 67.2% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This trade represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.58.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

KR stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.74. The company had a trading volume of 5,575,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,407,211. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $50.69 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.46, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50 day moving average of $70.67 and a 200 day moving average of $68.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.15%.

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.