VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 251,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,945,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KR. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $58.62 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company has a market capitalization of $35.91 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $57.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion for 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%.Kroger’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 91.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a report on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.75.

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.