Joseph Group Capital Management Trims Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Joseph Group Capital Management decreased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 50,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,253 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 1.2% of Joseph Group Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Joseph Group Capital Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased 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 valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 110.8% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 751,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,892,000 after buying an additional 395,098 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 20,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Kroger by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 34,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,477,000 after acquiring an additional 2,199 shares during the period. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 48.4% during the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 16,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,148,000 after acquiring an additional 5,530 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Kroger from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.50.

Kroger Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $64.89 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $66.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.82. The company has a market capitalization of $43.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $57.08 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

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.