Kroger (NYSE:KR) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Kroger (NYSE:KR) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05, Zacks reports. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Kroger updated its FY 2025 guidance to 4.600-4.800 EPS.

Kroger Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of KR traded up $1.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $64.03. 4,719,141 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,555,934. Kroger has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $66.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $62.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.82. The company has a market capitalization of $46.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.86%.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Kroger stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,733 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $962,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.19.

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.