The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.8750.

KR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Barclays set a $68.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR opened at $63.18 on Thursday. Kroger has a 1-year low of $58.12 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $39.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.50, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $63.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KR. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Kroger by 61.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in Kroger by 66.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 299.6% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $120,965,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, offering a wide range of retail grocery and related services. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates a portfolio of supermarket and multi-department store banners and provides customers with fresh foods, packaged groceries, deli and bakery items, meat and seafood, produce, and prepared foods. Kroger’s stores commonly include pharmacy services and fuel centers, positioning the company as a broad-based neighborhood retail destination for everyday needs.

In addition to traditional in-store retailing, Kroger manufactures and distributes a variety of private-label brands and operates its own food production and supply-chain facilities.