Alaethes Wealth LLC Increases Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

by · The Markets Daily

Alaethes Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,320 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the quarter. Alaethes Wealth LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius upgraded Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price target (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.58.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Kroger

Kroger Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $67.99 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $50.69 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a market cap of $44.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%.The business had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 38.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This trade represents a 25.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total value of $622,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,788,314. This trade represents a 6.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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