North Dakota State Investment Board Takes Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 20,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,299,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $789,000. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 17,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in Kroger by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 123,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,714,000 after purchasing an additional 4,282 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $996,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its holdings in Kroger by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 40,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,500,000 after purchasing an additional 8,946 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 3.4%

KR opened at $70.64 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $43.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.67. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.87.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger was included in the 2026 Axios Harris Poll 100, highlighting its strong visibility and trust with consumers, which can reinforce the stock’s defensive appeal. Axios Harris Poll Names Kroger One of America’s Most Visible and Trusted Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger continues to promote traffic-driving initiatives like Memorial Day savings and a 4X Fuel Points event, supporting near-term customer engagement and store visits. Kroger Helps Customers Celebrate Memorial Day with Savings on Grilling Favorites and 4X Fuel Points Event
• Positive Sentiment: Juni expanded across Kroger family banners and surpassed 8,000 retail doors, indicating continued partner expansion and shelf presence across Kroger’s network. Juni Surpasses 8,000 Retail Doors, Expands Across Kroger Family Banners
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles about digital coupons, grocery savings, and Kroger-branded holiday shopping reflect ongoing consumer interest, but do not appear to change the company’s fundamentals on their own.
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger was mentioned in a salmonella-related snack food recall article, which could create a small overhang if consumers associate the issue with product safety at the retailer. Kroger gets swept up in the growing wave of Salmonella snack food recalls
• Negative Sentiment: A report on another Kroger executive departure may raise questions about leadership turnover, though the impact looks limited unless more exits follow. Another Kroger executive departs

Kroger 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.