The Kroger Co. $KR Position Reduced by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers reduced its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 17.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 311,154 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,152 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Kroger were worth $22,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on KR shares. Barclays set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 19th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $57.99 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a market cap of $35.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $60.65 and a 200-day moving average of $65.39.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s payout ratio is 82.35%.

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.