Drake & Associates LLC Has $2.95 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Drake & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 41.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 41,178 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,152 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 0.7% of Drake & Associates LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Drake & Associates LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Kroger by 1.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,299,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $967,863,000 after buying an additional 186,302 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 85.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945,848 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,999,000 after purchasing an additional 31,477 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $178,385,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE KR opened at $64.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.57. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $68.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.88 and a 12 month high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Saturday, September 27th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.63.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, 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 owned 85,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Kroger

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.