Triasima Portfolio Management inc. Makes New $448,000 Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Triasima Portfolio Management inc. acquired a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Kroger by 1.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,299,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,863,000 after purchasing an additional 186,302 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Kroger by 85.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,945,848 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 0.6% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,999,000 after purchasing an additional 31,477 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 101.7% during the first quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,485,000 after buying an additional 2,059,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $178,385,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $66.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $44.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $68.61 and its 200 day moving average is $69.01. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.88 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This trade represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

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.