Cherokee Insurance Co Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Cherokee Insurance Co bought a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $395,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 6,840.0% during the 2nd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Kroger by 10,425.0% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Barclays began coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Kroger from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Argus set a $85.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.50.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $65.43 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $66.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.72. The company has a market cap of $43.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $57.08 and a one year high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. The company’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, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 35.53%.

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.