Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Has $4.74 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 59.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 66,092 shares of the company’s stock after selling 97,128 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its position in shares of Kroger by 6,840.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $67.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $57.69 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $66.37 and a 200-day moving average of $68.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on KR. Argus set a $85.00 target price on Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.39.

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.