Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Raises Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 80.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,185,530 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 976,100 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $156,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Kroger by 85.3% during the 1st 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,999,000 after purchasing an additional 31,477 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 101.7% in the 1st 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 purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at $178,385,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $66.51 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.98 and a 200 day moving average of $68.98. The company has a market capitalization of $44.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.57. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.88 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus set a $85.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price target (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.63.

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.