2,836,894 Shares in The Kroger Co. $KR Acquired by Nykredit A S

Key Points

• Nykredit A S acquired 2.84 million Kroger shares valued at approximately $157.5 million, giving it a 0.46% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.93% of Kroger.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $71.75, despite Kroger shares trading near $58.24 and below their 200-day moving average.
• Kroger slightly missed quarterly EPS estimates but exceeded revenue expectations, while revenue grew 2.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39, implying a 2.7% annual yield.

Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,836,894 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $157,533,000. Nykredit A S owned approximately 0.46% of Kroger as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of KR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,016,956,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company's stock worth $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company's stock worth $837,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360,946 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Kroger by 0.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $889,878,000 after acquiring an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $470,561,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.75.

Kroger Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE KR opened at $58.24 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.18. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.26, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.41.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.Kroger's revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Experienced operations hire: Kroger appointed Mark Ibbotson as executive vice president and chief store operations officer, effective September 14. Ibbotson is a veteran retail executive who helped lead Walmart’s e-commerce rollout, potentially strengthening Kroger’s store execution, digital integration and competitive response. Kroger names Mark Ibbotson Executive Vice President and Chief Store Operations Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment remains supportive: Kroger has an average “Moderate Buy” rating from covering brokerages, which may provide some support after the stock’s recent weakness and its position well below its 200-day moving average. The Kroger Co. Given Average Rating of Moderate Buy by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Pharmacy settlement: Coverage of a Kroger pharmacy settlement highlights a potential legal and reputational overhang, although the available report does not indicate the financial impact on the company. Kroger Pharmacy Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart pricing pressure: Citi warned that Walmart’s aggressive grocery pricing could pressure Kroger’s traffic, margins and near-term earnings, placing KR on a short-term downside catalyst watch ahead of second-quarter results. Citi warns Walmart’s aggressive grocery pricing could hurt Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Turnaround concerns persist: Commentary that Kroger’s grocery turnaround has stalled reinforces investor concerns about execution. Kroger’s latest quarter also narrowly missed the EPS consensus, despite revenue exceeding estimates, keeping the focus on margin performance and delivery of its fiscal 2026 earnings guidance. Kroger’s Grocery Turnaround Hits a Wall

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source