The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by AdvisorNet Financial Inc

AdvisorNet Financial Inc reduced its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock after selling 218 shares during the quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $13,127,098.68. This trade represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the firm’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 64,874 shares of company stock valued at $4,600,451. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price target (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.63.

Kroger Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:KR opened at $65.35 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59. 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 Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.88 and a 1 year high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.53%.

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.