The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI

Key Points

• LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI reduced its stake in Kroger by 3.5%, owning 199,090 shares valued at approximately $14.28 million as of its latest filing.
• Kroger reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.04 for the previous quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and announced a dividend increase to $0.35 per share.
• According to recent analysis, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price of $70.58 from various equities analysts.

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 199,090 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,251 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for 1.5% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's holdings in Kroger were worth $14,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Client Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $220,000. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,766,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 208,073 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,084,000 after purchasing an additional 2,586 shares in the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $631,000. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $383,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $68.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $45.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.51 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.86.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 38.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $622,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,761 shares in the company, valued at $8,788,314. The trade was a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. This represents a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday. Roth Capital raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.58.

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.

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