Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $816.89 Million Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,119,795 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,254,364 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.83% of Kroger worth $816,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 87.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.93.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $68.62 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $43.43 billion, a PE ratio of 63.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $64.86 and a 200-day moving average of $65.84. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $58.60 and a one year high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 129.63%.

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.