Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Grows Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 58.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 558,033 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 205,150 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Kroger were worth $40,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in Kroger by 268.1% in the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 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’s purchase of Giant Eagle adds about 197 supermarkets, 11 pharmacies, and roughly $9 billion in annual revenue, giving KR immediate scale in five states. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary suggest the deal could be margin-stable and accretive to earnings, which supports the bull case for Kroger’s growth outlook. TipRanks article
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $71 price target, signaling confidence that KR still has upside from current levels. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger also named Emilee De Martino as its next Chief People Officer, a leadership change that is unlikely to be a major stock driver on its own. PR Newswire article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary notes the acquisition will likely be watched closely for financing, debt, and integration execution, so investor reaction may remain mixed until more details emerge. MarketBeat article
• Negative Sentiment: The market is also aware that Kroger’s balance sheet is already levered, so taking on Giant Eagle’s liabilities could weigh on sentiment if integration costs or debt concerns increase. Retail Insight Network article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 1st. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.94.

Kroger Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of KR stock opened at $58.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $54.15 and a one year high of $76.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $63.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.91. The company has a market capitalization of $35.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.19, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.44.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.76%.

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.