Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Grows Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 28.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,323 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,325 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in Kroger by 3.7% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Kroger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Kroger by 4.0% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Kroger by 67.2% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius raised Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Roth Capital raised their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.58.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $71.7320 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $50.69 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.47. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $47.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 38.15%.

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.