Hager Investment Management Services LLC Has $904,000 Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Hager Investment Management Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 20.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,609 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,098 shares during the quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 51,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,716,000 after buying an additional 3,869 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Kroger by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 115,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,298,000 after buying an additional 5,325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 24,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,755,000 after buying an additional 10,039 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $68.13 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.88 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $45.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.01.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 currently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 11th. The stock was 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

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.