GWN Securities Inc. Acquires 38,475 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

GWN Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 66.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,974 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,475 shares during the period. Kroger makes up approximately 1.3% of GWN Securities Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. GWN Securities Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 6,840.0% during the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 10,425.0% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Argus set a $85.00 price target on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Barclays assumed coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.50.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $68.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $67.68 and a 200-day moving average of $69.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $55.60 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

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.