Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. Grows Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 82.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,989 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,821 shares during the quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised 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 purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 10,425.0% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 87.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $63.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $39.87 billion, a PE ratio of 58.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.12 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.24 and a 200 day moving average of $67.76.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stores Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s board authorized an incremental $2.0 billion share repurchase, adding to the prior $7.5 billion program and leaving roughly $2.9 billion available — a direct capital-return action that supports EPS and signals management believes the stock is undervalued. Kroger’s Board of Directors Approves Additional $2.0 Billion Share Repurchase Authorization
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and coverage note Kroger’s shares have been under pressure this month, increasing the relative impact of buybacks; this context helps explain why management accelerated repurchases even as same-store trends remain mixed. Kroger’s stock may not seem so hot to investors, but the grocer keeps buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets published Kroger’s holiday hours and store-opening schedules for Christmas Eve/Day — useful for near-term traffic expectations but not a material change to fundamentals. Seasonal shopping patterns could modestly affect week-to-week sales. Grocery stores open on Christmas Eve: Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Sam’s Club, and more
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say a surge in retail crime has forced closures of about 60 Kroger stores, with significant job losses cited — this is a potential earnings and margin headwind if shrink, security costs, and local closures persist. $112B crime wave wipes out 60 Kroger stores in retail bloodbath – 9,000 jobs lost

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.13.

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.