State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 18,057 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 211,271 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,057 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Kroger were worth $15,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 6,840.0% in the 2nd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the period. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $67.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $55.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $67.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.15.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Argus set a $85.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.50.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.