Allianz Asset Management GmbH Boosts Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 66.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.79% of Kroger worth $354,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 10,425.0% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 87.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays set a $68.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.80.

Kroger Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE KR opened at $63.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $39.91 billion, a PE ratio of 58.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.61. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month 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’s 50 day moving average is $63.07 and its 200 day moving average is $66.32.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 129.63%.

Kroger Company 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.