Kroger (NYSE:KR) Issues FY25 Earnings Guidance

Kroger (NYSE:KR) issued an update on its FY25 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $4.35-4.45 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44. Kroger also updated its FY 2024 guidance to 4.350-4.450 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.64.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $60.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $43.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $57.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.57. Kroger has a 1 year low of $43.51 and a 1 year high of $61.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Kroger

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.