Fifth Third Bancorp Purchases 170 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 71,786 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $65.51 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.59. 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 52 week low of $54.88 and a 52 week high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the sale, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Roth Mkm upgraded shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $75.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.63.

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.