Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Sells 953 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 8.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,782 shares of the company’s stock after selling 953 shares during the quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Kroger were worth $702,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Kroger by 85.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $433,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,945,848 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $178,385,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059,574 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 80.7% during the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,185,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,768,000 after purchasing an additional 976,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $62,730,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $68.85 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $55.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 35.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.53.

Kroger Profile

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.