Kroger (NYSE:KR) EVP Mary Ellen Adcock Sells 72,901 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at $10,636,643.10. This trade represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Kroger Trading Down 0.7%

Kroger stock traded down $0.42 during trading on Monday, hitting $59.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,044,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,926,536. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $57.96 and its 200 day moving average is $63.37. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.15 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 84.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth about $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after buying an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $470,561,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Kroger by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,129,000 after acquiring an additional 876,168 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $68.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price target (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest grocery retailers in the United States. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel centers across the country.

Kroger sells a broad range of fresh foods, packaged groceries, household products, health and beauty items, prepared foods and general merchandise. Its private-label offerings include Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger brands.