Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 3,151 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,026 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,151 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Kroger by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 25,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,706,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 14.7% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 145,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,852,000 after purchasing an additional 18,668 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Kroger by 172.2% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 10,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE KR opened at $68.56 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $67.78 and a 200-day moving average of $69.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.57. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $55.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released 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 company had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 35.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Argus set a $85.00 target price on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.50.

Kroger 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.