Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Increases Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 30.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,491 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,228 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

Kroger Stock Down 2.0%

KR stock opened at $66.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $41.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.39, a PEG ratio of 1.68 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. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $64.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.08.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 129.63%.

About Kroger

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.