Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Sells 36,413 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. reduced its stake in Kroger Co. by 18.2%, now holding 163,220 shares worth approximately $11 million.
• Kroger reported a quarterly EPS of $1.49, exceeding estimates, but revenue of $45.12 billion fell short of expectations, reflecting a 0.3% decline from the previous year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend from $0.32 to $0.35, representing an annual dividend yield of 2.0%.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. decreased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,220 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,413 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $11,048,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $264,207,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth $178,385,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $123,829,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 7,363.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock worth $115,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683,535 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.58.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $1.0120 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $71.7320. 5,309,957 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,096,598. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $50.69 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 38.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was 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 owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. The trade was a 25.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.