SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 920.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 457,332 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 412,522 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.07% of Kroger worth $28,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 87.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced a $112M program to open two stores and remodel about 15 locations in central and northwest Ohio in 2026, implying capex-driven sales growth and local market share gains. Kroger to spend $112M on store projects in Ohio
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is running two 4X Fuel Points weekends (March 27–29 and April 3–5), a promotion that should drive short-term store traffic and fuel-station sales and help conversion/loyalty metrics. Kroger Helps Customers Fuel Up with 4X Fuel Points Weekends
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: investors bought ~20,700 call contracts (about +53% vs. typical volume), a near-term bullish signal that can amplify buying interest in the equity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger plans to debut a new Marketplace-format store in Fate, Texas (Dallas suburb), extending its format rollouts and geographic growth; this is incremental expansion rather than a material one-off. Kroger to debut new Marketplace store in the Dallas suburb of Fate
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger refunded $1.4M to Groveland for city projects — a relatively small, one-time cash adjustment related to local infrastructure agreements. Kroger refunds $1.4M to Groveland
• Neutral Sentiment: Community/PR: Kroger committed $25k to an urban-agriculture initiative in West Louisville — positive local PR but immaterial financially. Kroger invests $25K into urban agriculture initiative
• Negative Sentiment: Isolated safety incidents (e.g., shootings/assaults in or near stores) have appeared in local media; while reputational and security costs can matter, these reports are localized and unlikely to alter broad fundamentals. Man shot in Kroger parking lot
• Negative Sentiment: Some consumer complaints about specific products (bakery/corn-chip items) surfaced in media coverage — minor brand/experience issues that are more PR than financial headwinds. Kroger shoppers negative bakery item coverage

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $71.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.43 billion, a PE ratio of 46.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.56.

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.