MUFG Securities EMEA plc Purchases 13,322 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

MUFG Securities EMEA plc grew its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 114.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,965 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,322 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,560,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.87.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $61.58 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 firm has a market cap of $37.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $68.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.74. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

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.