Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $85,000 Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC cut its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 93.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,263 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,614 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $85,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 66.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,245,000 after buying an additional 2,100,444 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in Kroger by 299.6% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $65,450,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $67.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.15. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $42.83 billion, a PE ratio of 62.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Analysts expect that The Kroger Co. 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 Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 129.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.07.

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.