MTM Investment Management LLC Buys New Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 2,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $195,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 1.9% during the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Cairn Investment Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.3% in the second quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,225,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the second quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 19,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $66.70 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $57.08 and a one year 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. The company has a market capitalization of $44.20 billion, a PE ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $66.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.65.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Roth Capital upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. 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. Roth Mkm upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.50.

Kroger Company 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.