The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Acquired by Valley Wealth Managers Inc.

Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 8.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 386,667 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,491 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. owned about 0.07% of Kroger worth $22,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter worth $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after buying an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,129,000 after buying an additional 876,168 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Kroger by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,332,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,116,000 after buying an additional 506,776 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $61.59 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 84.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KR. Melius Research set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $68.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price objective (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.82.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is reopening a remodeled Lancaster, Ohio, store following an approximately $1.8 million investment. The updated location includes refreshed grocery departments, fuel offerings and promotional incentives, which could improve customer experience and sales productivity. Kroger to unveil $1.8 million Lancaster store remodel with grand reopening Friday
• Positive Sentiment: A new Paw Patrol-branded peanut-butter-and-jelly product is launching nationwide at Kroger, adding another packaged-food item that could support product variety and private-label or partnership-related sales. INCREDIFULLS PAW PATROL PB&J CUPS LAUNCH NATIONWIDE AT KROGER
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage indicates Kroger customers continue shopping for fuel despite record gasoline prices, potentially supporting fuel-station traffic and loyalty-program engagement. Kroger and Costco shoppers refuse to let record gas prices win
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s revised employee dress policy is intended to create a more polished, customer-facing store environment. The change may help branding, but its direct financial effect is likely limited. The Friday Checkout: Why Kroger and Target store workers are dressing to impress
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger Health President Colleen Lindholz is retiring after more than 30 years. Her departure creates a leadership transition in pharmacy, clinics and the Food as Medicine platform, though Kroger credited her with expanding the healthcare strategy. Kroger President Colleen Lindholz Retires After More Than 30 Years
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argues that Kroger’s valuation looks demanding after a roughly 75% five-year shareholder gain, raising questions about whether current earnings adequately support the share price. Kroger Stock Looks Pricey Despite A 75% Five Year Gain
• Negative Sentiment: A U.S. senator criticized Kroger’s proposed Giant Eagle transaction and other grocery deals, keeping political and regulatory uncertainty around Kroger’s consolidation strategy in focus. U.S. senator slams Kroger, Giant Eagle deal and two others

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total transaction of $4,425,090.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S.-based food and consumer goods retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company has grown into one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States.

Kroger operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, marketplace-format stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. Its stores sell groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery and deli products, household essentials, health and beauty items, and general merchandise. The company also offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs, and a range of private-label products.

The company serves customers across numerous U.S.