Nykredit A S Acquires Shares of 2,836,894 The Kroger Co. $KR

Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 2,836,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $157,533,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,764,000. Allstate Corp boosted its position in Kroger by 108.5% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,998,000 after purchasing an additional 24,976 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $76,633,000. Conning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 10,178.7% in the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 507,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,706,000 after purchasing an additional 502,522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $1,299,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $58.24 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $57.68 and a 200-day moving average of $64.18. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.41.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. Kroger’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th were given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group set a $63.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.75.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Experienced operations hire: Kroger appointed Mark Ibbotson as executive vice president and chief store operations officer, effective September 14. Ibbotson is a veteran retail executive who helped lead Walmart’s e-commerce rollout, potentially strengthening Kroger’s store execution, digital integration and competitive response. Kroger names Mark Ibbotson Executive Vice President and Chief Store Operations Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment remains supportive: Kroger has an average “Moderate Buy” rating from covering brokerages, which may provide some support after the stock’s recent weakness and its position well below its 200-day moving average. The Kroger Co. Given Average Rating of Moderate Buy by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Pharmacy settlement: Coverage of a Kroger pharmacy settlement highlights a potential legal and reputational overhang, although the available report does not indicate the financial impact on the company. Kroger Pharmacy Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart pricing pressure: Citi warned that Walmart’s aggressive grocery pricing could pressure Kroger’s traffic, margins and near-term earnings, placing KR on a short-term downside catalyst watch ahead of second-quarter results. Citi warns Walmart’s aggressive grocery pricing could hurt Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Turnaround concerns persist: Commentary that Kroger’s grocery turnaround has stalled reinforces investor concerns about execution. Kroger’s latest quarter also narrowly missed the EPS consensus, despite revenue exceeding estimates, keeping the focus on margin performance and delivery of its fiscal 2026 earnings guidance. Kroger’s Grocery Turnaround Hits a Wall

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.