Berkshire Hathaway Inc Sells 11,000,000 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Berkshire Hathaway Inc reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,000,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,000,000 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 0.7% of Berkshire Hathaway Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Berkshire Hathaway Inc owned 6.37% of Kroger worth $2,165,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $456,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $7,942,000. Odyssean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $372,000. First Bancorp Inc ME acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $155,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,248,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Instacart partnership expands omnichannel potential. Kroger has rolled out combined grocery and eligible prescription delivery nationwide across more than 2,200 pharmacies and nearly all major banners, including Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Harris Teeter. The service could increase customer convenience, order frequency and pharmacy engagement while strengthening Kroger’s digital ecosystem. Kroger Rolls Out Combined Grocery And Prescription Delivery Nationwide
• Positive Sentiment: Store investments support longer-term sales capacity. Kroger plans new stores in Dearborn and Commerce Township, Michigan, and is investing millions of dollars in store remodels and local initiatives. These projects are positive for market presence and customer experience, although their financial contribution is likely to develop gradually. Kroger Adding New Stores in Dearborn and Commerce Township in 2027
• Neutral Sentiment: Automation and private-label visibility provide incremental support. Reports that Kroger is rolling out inventory robots and continued attention to its store-brand products point to efforts to improve labor productivity, inventory management and value perception. The articles do not indicate a near-term earnings impact. Kroger Rolls Out Inventory Robots
• Negative Sentiment: $17 million pharmacy settlement weighs on sentiment. Multiple outlets report that eligible customers may receive payments under a settlement involving alleged prescription-price or copay overcharges. The settlement appears manageable relative to Kroger’s size, but continued coverage could create reputational concerns around its pharmacy business. A shopper’s complaint about an underweight beef package is similarly negative publicity, though unlikely to materially affect earnings. Kroger Pharmacy Settlement Coverage

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on KR. Citigroup decreased their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 19th. UBS Group set a $63.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of KR opened at $58.59 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.46, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.43. 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $57.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.57.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.76%.

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