Joseph Group Capital Management Lowers Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Joseph Group Capital Management lessened its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,253 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 1.2% of Joseph Group Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Joseph Group Capital Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Kroger by 1.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,299,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,863,000 after buying an additional 186,302 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 85.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $433,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945,848 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,999,000 after acquiring an additional 31,477 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 101.7% in the first quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059,574 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth about $178,385,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $64.89 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.08 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $66.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.82. 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 stock has a market cap of $43.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus set a $85.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.50.

About Kroger

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.