Hager Investment Management Services LLC Purchases 2,098 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,609 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,098 shares during the quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Kroger by 85.3% during 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. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $178,385,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 101.7% during the first quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,485,000 after acquiring an additional 2,059,574 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 80.7% during the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,185,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,768,000 after acquiring an additional 976,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $62,730,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $272,834.10. Following the transaction, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $68.13 on Thursday. 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 52 week low of $54.88 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $68.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.15 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.57.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

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.