The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 126.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,667 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,898 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Kroger by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,807,000 after purchasing an additional 16,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $201,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 8.8% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 818,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,692,000 after buying an additional 66,394 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 137.0% in the second quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 22,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after buying an additional 13,245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Barclays reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.93.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $67.57 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The business has a 50-day moving average of $64.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.97. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced 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 firm 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend 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.