The Kroger Co. $KR Stock: Quadrant Capital Group LLC Increases Holdings

Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 103.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,750 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,742 shares during the quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Carnegie Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 18.3% during the third quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 3,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the period. Cypress Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cypress Capital LLC now owns 47,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 6.8% during the third quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 4,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 7.7% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.35.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $64.16 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $54.15 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $59.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $37.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.36.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 84.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger plans to invest approximately $5 billion by 2029 to lower prices, strengthen its value proposition and win market share. Management is targeting roughly 3% annual comparable sales growth, 3%-6% adjusted EBITDA growth and 7%-11% adjusted EPS growth through 2029. Kroger long-term financial targets
• Positive Sentiment: The company intends to open about 110 new stores and refresh existing locations, with updated formats allocating more space to fresh food and e-commerce. The expansion could support revenue growth and improve Kroger’s competitiveness against Walmart, Amazon and other grocers. Kroger store formats and expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Management is simplifying operations and focusing more closely on its core grocery business under CEO Greg Foran. Investors viewed the strategy as a possible way to improve customer traffic and produce earnings growth despite intense industry competition. Kroger grocery strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is reportedly planning to cut thousands of corporate positions as it expands artificial-intelligence tools and streamlines its business. The reductions could lower costs over time, but restructuring expenses and potential execution or employee-relations issues may weigh on near-term results. Kroger job cuts and AI plans
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons is seeking approximately $8 billion from Kroger in litigation over their failed merger. Testimony has focused on whether Kroger offered an inadequate store-divestiture plan, creating a potentially significant financial and legal overhang. Albertsons lawsuit against Kroger
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s former CEO defended the company’s efforts to complete the Albertsons transaction, while the current management team reiterated its standalone growth strategy. The court dispute may remain a source of volatility as the market assesses possible damages and settlement costs. Former Kroger CEO defends Albertsons deal

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Harris Teeter and Smith’s, among others.

Kroger’s business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.