OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC Increases Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 97.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 18,378 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,066 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in Kroger during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 87.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 245 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Greg Foran (former Walmart exec) is expected to push cost-cutting, operational streamlining and margin improvement, which investors often view favorably for grocers facing margin pressure. This leadership change likely drove some of the stock’s intraday activity. Former Walmart exec reveals what Kroger can expect from its first outside CEO Kroger’s New CEO Brings Walmart Experience To Cost Focus And Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger expanded pharmacy/wellness offerings — including GLP-1 savings programs and free virtual dietitian consults — which can support pharmacy revenue and customer loyalty over time. These initiatives are strategically relevant given healthcare tailwinds in retail. Savings Programs that offer Affordable Access to GLP-1s Available at Kroger
• Neutral Sentiment: Local real estate and store activity: Kroger is breaking ground on new stores (McKinney, Perry) and opening remodeled locations; these are execution items that matter regionally but have limited immediate impact on the company-wide stock move. Kroger starts construction on new McKinney store and reveals opening date
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer perception: Kroger was cited among top grocery stores in a recent survey — a branding/retention positive but not an immediate earnings driver. Kroger among best grocery stores in the US, survey reveals
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger from overweight to equal-weight and trimmed its price target to $68, reducing near-term analyst support and likely contributing to selling pressure. Benzinga coverage of downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Operational noise — reports of store closures and local exits in some markets (e.g., references to 60-store closures and vacancy in a commerce park) create short-term uncertainty about footprint optimization and costs. Kroger has begun to close 60 stores after failed merger Lake County seeking new tenants for commerce park after Kroger exit

Kroger Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of KR stock opened at $67.57 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $42.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.57, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.97.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 129.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.93.

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.