The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 406,634 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,768 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Kroger were worth $25,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $65.68 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $70.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

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.