Berger Financial Group Inc Purchases New Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Berger Financial Group opened a new position in Kroger during the first quarter, buying 99,961 shares worth about $7.23 million.
• Kroger continues to attract heavy institutional ownership, with hedge funds and other investors holding about 80.93% of the stock.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive: Kroger has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, while its stock recently traded around $58.12 after reporting slightly below-estimate EPS but better-than-expected revenue.

Berger Financial Group Inc purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 99,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,233,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Kroger by 45.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 855,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,690,000 after purchasing an additional 267,434 shares during the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Kroger by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 150,356 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,135,000 after acquiring an additional 23,027 shares during the last quarter. JCP Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,773,000. Allstate Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 108.5% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 47,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,998,000 after purchasing an additional 24,976 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company's stock worth $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group set a $63.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Ten equities research 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.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $71.94.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s Giant Eagle purchase could expand its presence in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, adding about 197 stores and roughly $9 billion in annual revenue while strengthening scale and market share. The Kroger Co. set to purchase Giant Eagle Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have described the deal as margin-stable and potentially EPS-accretive, and Guggenheim reaffirmed a buy rating with a $71 price target, signaling confidence in Kroger’s expansion strategy. Kroger’s $1.65bn Giant Eagle Deal Seen as Margin‑Stable, EPS‑Accretive Growth Catalyst Supporting Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: The acquisition is expected to close in 2027 and still needs regulatory approval, so execution risk remains a factor even though the deal appears smaller and less complex than the blocked Albertsons transaction. Kroger Thinks Smaller With $1.65B Giant Eagle Buy After Albertsons Merger Fizzled
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage also highlighted Kroger’s ongoing focus on retail media, e-commerce, and broader omnichannel growth, which supports the long-term investment case but does not by itself change near-term fundamentals. 2 Supermarket Stocks Set to Thrive Despite Industry Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Some investor reaction is cautious because the grocery sector remains competitive and consolidation deals can bring regulatory, financial, and integration risks, especially after Kroger’s prior merger attempt failed. Kroger just shook up the supermarket landscape

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $58.12 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The stock has a market cap of $35.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.19, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.44. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $63.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.85.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.35%.

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.

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