The Kroger Co. (KR) To Go Ex-Dividend on February 13th

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of 0.35 per share on Sunday, March 1st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th.

Kroger has raised its dividend by an average of 0.2%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 19 years. Kroger has a payout ratio of 27.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities 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 Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.74. The stock had a trading volume of 3,055,066 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,062,155. The company has a market capitalization of $43.50 billion, a PE ratio of 63.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.12. Kroger has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $74.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

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.