The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.35

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of 0.35 per share on Monday, June 1st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th.

Kroger has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 19 years. Kroger has a dividend payout ratio of 27.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Kroger to earn $4.72 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.40 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.7%.

Kroger Stock Up 0.2%

Kroger stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.11. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 512,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,992,070. The company has a market cap of $47.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.99. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The business had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,821,546,000 after buying an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Kroger by 61.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after purchasing an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360,946 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,932,000 after purchasing an additional 122,606 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.