The Kroger Co. $KR Stake Boosted by Tobam

Tobam increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 34.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 111,482 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 28,859 shares during the period. Kroger accounts for 2.7% of Tobam’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Tobam’s holdings in Kroger were worth $7,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 10,425.0% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 87.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter valued at $33,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. Evercore set a $77.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.07.

Kroger Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:KR opened at $71.17 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $45.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.90, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.62. 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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $63.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.13. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 129.63%.

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.