Kroger (NYSE:KR) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04, RTT News reports. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger updated its FY 2025 guidance to 4.600-4.800 EPS.

Kroger Stock Down 0.9%

KR stock opened at $65.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $43.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.58. Kroger has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total value of $392,247.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at $246,349.20. This trade represents a 61.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Kroger stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,733 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $962,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.