Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 35,534 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 54.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35,534 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,111,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 2.7% during the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 6,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $221,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. FinArc Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at $2,616,000. Finally, Royal Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 86.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 50,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,654,000 after purchasing an additional 23,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $56.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $34.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.43. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.16.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Barclays set a $61.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

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.