Kroger (NYSE:KR) Receives "Neutral" Rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• Kroger's stock received a "neutral" rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co., with a new price objective of $75.00, down from $82.00.
• Analysts show a mixed outlook with seven ratings as "Buy" and eleven as "Hold," while Kroger's stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $70.16.
• The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, while quarterly revenue was slightly down compared to the previous year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated their neutral rating on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in a research report report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $75.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $82.00.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KR. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.58.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock traded down $1.9870 on Wednesday, reaching $69.4330. 6,981,074 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,605,369. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. Kroger has a twelve month low of $50.69 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.56.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%.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 previous year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. 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 is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.15%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Kroger by 6,840.0% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.