Kroger (NYSE:KR) Releases FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Kroger (NYSE:KR) issued an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 4.700-4.800 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 4.760. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $67.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $70.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.84. Kroger has a 52-week low of $51.52 and a 52-week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 target price (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 49,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 253.9% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 584 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 62.2% during the 2nd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at $130,000. Finally, Keel Point LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter worth $205,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.