Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $1.16 Million Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 17,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,162,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its holdings in Kroger by 6,840.0% in the second 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 bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Kroger by 10,425.0% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 87.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of KR stock opened at $63.92 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.15 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $40.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.18, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $77.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.80.

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.