Aberdeen Group plc Lowers Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 392,925 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,382 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $26,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays restated a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.07.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $69.61 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $63.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $74.90. The firm has a market cap of $44.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.45, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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