Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 233,386 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,700 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Avise Financial Cooperative Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $476,000. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 30,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,913,000 after acquiring an additional 7,700 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 11,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,105 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 190,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,881,000 after acquiring an additional 21,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its position in Kroger by 182.8% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,127 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 3,314 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.73.
Kroger News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Kroger launched a limited-time All-American Ice Cream Collection and is giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift store traffic and highlight the strength of its private-label business. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a groundbreaking for a new store in Nicholasville, Kentucky, signaling ongoing footprint expansion and investment in growth markets. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s CEO said the “basket has to come down” as the chain plans major price cuts to compete more aggressively with Walmart and Costco. That could help traffic, but it also points to margin pressure if discounts are broad-based. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is also rolling out digital price tags across nearly all local stores, a technology upgrade that could improve pricing efficiency but has drawn some controversy from shoppers. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Investors are also digesting reports that Kroger agreed to a multimillion-dollar federal settlement tied to refrigerant and Clean Air Act issues, including spending about $100 million on refrigerator fixes plus a fine, which could pressure near-term earnings. Article Title
Kroger Trading Up 1.7%
NYSE KR opened at $62.27 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.65. The stock has a market cap of $38.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.42. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.
Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.
Kroger Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.
Kroger 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.
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