Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 12,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $819,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $518,267,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 101.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 299.6% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $120,965,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 95.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of KR stock opened at $63.00 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.12 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The stock has a market cap of $39.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.33, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $65.13 and a 200-day moving average of $67.72.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The company had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Argus set a $85.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (down from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.13.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States, offering a wide range of retail grocery and related services. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates a portfolio of supermarket and multi-department store banners and provides customers with fresh foods, packaged groceries, deli and bakery items, meat and seafood, produce, and prepared foods. Kroger’s stores commonly include pharmacy services and fuel centers, positioning the company as a broad-based neighborhood retail destination for everyday needs.

In addition to traditional in-store retailing, Kroger manufactures and distributes a variety of private-label brands and operates its own food production and supply-chain facilities.