Marietta Investment Partners LLC Sells 59,088 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Marietta Investment Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 53.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,681 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,088 shares during the quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,249,307,000 after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $470,561,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 95.6% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 51.0% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,991,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010,457 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:KR opened at $61.14 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $37.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $67.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.68. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.73.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced a groundbreaking for a new Nicholasville store, signaling continued expansion and capital investment in its retail footprint. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger Health said it is convening industry leaders at the Nourishing Change conference, reinforcing the company’s push into healthcare-adjacent services and wellness. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger continues to highlight its broader role in health and nutrition, which could help differentiate the brand over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s digital price-tag rollout is now nearly companywide, a technology update that could improve pricing efficiency but has also drawn controversy. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Kroger-owned banners and bagger competitions is largely brand-related and unlikely to materially affect the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a federal Clean Air Act settlement that includes about $100 million in refrigeration fixes and a fine, increasing costs and regulatory scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recall headlines involving frozen foods and frozen pizza sold at Kroger may weigh on sentiment by raising food-safety concerns. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A separate report says Kroger will spend heavily on refrigerator fixes and pay a fine, reinforcing the margin and cash-flow impact of the settlement. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger is also featured in recall coverage for salmonella risk on frozen pizza and branded products, adding another short-term overhang. Article Title

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.