Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Buys 309,064 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management increased its Kroger stake by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 309,064 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 3,357,243 shares valued at about $209.8 million.
• Other major institutional investors also held sizable positions in Kroger, and hedge funds and institutions now own 80.93% of the company’s stock, underscoring strong institutional interest.
• Kroger recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.28 per share, beating estimates, while also paying a $0.35 quarterly dividend; analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans moderately bullish with an average target price of $74.73.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,357,243 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 309,064 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up 1.4% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.53% of Kroger worth $209,761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after purchasing an additional 386,503 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $470,561,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,327,182 shares of the company's stock valued at $426,515,000 after buying an additional 865,559 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.73.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its new limited-time “All-American Ice Cream Collection” and giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift traffic and reinforce customer engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports noted new or upcoming Kroger Marketplace openings and development progress in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, signaling continued store expansion and local market investment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and local-news pieces highlighted the ice cream giveaway and store openings, but these are largely promotional updates rather than material financial catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a $2.5 million DOJ settlement over alleged Clean Air Act emissions violations, which adds a legal and compliance overhang even if the dollar amount is relatively small. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report suggesting Kroger may lose more executives could raise concerns about management turnover and continuity. Article Title

Kroger Stock Up 0.0%

KR stock opened at $63.59 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.52 and a 200 day moving average of $66.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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 2.2%. 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.

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.