V Square Quantitative Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• V Square Quantitative Management LLC reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 35.6%, selling 9,008 shares to hold a total of 16,263 shares worth approximately $1.17 million.
• The Kroger Co. recently reported earnings per share of $1.04, exceeding analyst expectations, while its revenue for the quarter was $33.94 billion, slightly below forecasts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, scheduled for payment on December 1st, representing a yield of 2.1% based on the current stock price.

V Square Quantitative Management LLC reduced its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 35.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,263 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,008 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 27.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank bought a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at about $383,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 7,363.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,506,000 after acquiring an additional 1,683,535 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,535 shares of the company's stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of KR stock opened at $66.39 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $69.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.00. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $54.88 and a one year high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors 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 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. Roth Capital upgraded Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised shares of Kroger from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.63.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $272,834.10. Following the sale, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.

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