The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 33.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 41,342 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,463 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 268.1% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of KR stock opened at $65.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a PE ratio of 42.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.74. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. Kroger’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.56.

About Kroger

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.