The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.50.

Several research firms recently commented on KR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays assumed coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Argus set a $85.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 11th.

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $63.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $42.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.57. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $55.69 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $67.27 and a 200 day moving average of $69.11.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KR. IFC Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.9% in the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the second quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 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 buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kroger

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.