Buck Wealth Strategies LLC Raises Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 177,748 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 24,866 shares during the period. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $11,106,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 16.8% during the third quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its holdings in Kroger by 0.9% during the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Kroger by 2.9% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 6,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 3.0% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 1.1%

KR stock opened at $65.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $70.28 and its 200 day moving average is $66.74. The stock has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.46. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.56.

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.