The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 102,283 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $7,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.9% during the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its holdings in Kroger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,225,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 19,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,385,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.6% during the first quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 2.3%

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

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The firm 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%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on KR. Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Argus set a $85.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.50.

Kroger Company 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.