Truist Financial Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Truist Financial Corp lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 187,667 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,695 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $12,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Kroger by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,807,000 after acquiring an additional 16,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $201,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 159,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,427,000 after acquiring an additional 20,912 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 2,099 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 1st. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI set a $77.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.80.

Kroger Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of KR opened at $62.82 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The stock has a market cap of $39.75 billion, a PE ratio of 58.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $63.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.