ABN Amro Investment Solutions Takes $606,000 Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

ABN Amro Investment Solutions bought a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $606,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in Kroger by 102.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 168,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,079,000 after buying an additional 85,223 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in shares of Kroger by 2,313.4% in the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 138,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,964,000 after acquiring an additional 133,159 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 72,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,870,000 after acquiring an additional 21,876 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $480,000. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 85.0% during the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 857,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,828,000 after purchasing an additional 394,060 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:KR opened at $71.17 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $74.90. The stock has a market cap of $45.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.90, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $63.60 and a 200-day moving average of $66.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The company’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 129.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.