The Kroger Co. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.35 (NYSE:KR)

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of 0.35 per share on Monday, June 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th.

Kroger has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 19 years. Kroger has a dividend payout ratio of 27.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research 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 Up 0.2%

Shares of Kroger stock traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.10. The company had a trading volume of 262,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,985,295. Kroger has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $47.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $66.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.99.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 61.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $470,561,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 66.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100,444 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,445,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453,966 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.