Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 229,395 The Kroger Co. $KR

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 229,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,464,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.9% in the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Cairn Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,225,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the second quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 19,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $63.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.15 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.45 billion, a PE ratio of 59.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.61.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.80.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, offering a wide range of retail grocery and related services. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates a portfolio of supermarket and multi-department store banners and provides customers with fresh foods, packaged groceries, deli and bakery items, meat and seafood, produce, and prepared foods. Kroger’s stores commonly include pharmacy services and fuel centers, positioning the company as a broad-based neighborhood retail destination for everyday needs.

In addition to traditional in-store retailing, Kroger manufactures and distributes a variety of private-label brands and operates its own food production and supply-chain facilities.