Capital Wealth Planning LLC Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Capital Wealth Planning LLC opened a new position in Kroger during Q3, buying 53,434 shares valued at about $3.6 million.
• Several large institutions (including Norges Bank, Allianz, Worldquant and Raymond James) added sizeable Kroger positions, leaving institutional ownership at ~80.93%.
• Kroger recently beat EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.20), set FY2026 guidance of 5.10–5.30 EPS, rolled out Eli Lilly’s Zepbound KwikPen at participating pharmacies and declared a $0.35 quarterly dividend, all supporting positive investor sentiment.

Capital Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 53,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,602,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth about $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 66.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,245,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company's stock worth $173,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company's stock worth $174,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190,127 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $65,450,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger expanded access to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound® KwikPen at participating Kroger pharmacies, which can drive pharmacy revenue, strengthen Kroger’s healthcare positioning and attract higher-margin prescription sales (and the company will honor manufacturer savings programs for eligible patients). Kroger Brings Zepbound® KwikPen to Retail Pharmacy
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage noting the pharmacy rollout and investor reaction contributed to shares edging up; the Benzinga note flags near-term investor interest tied to the Zepbound availability. Kroger Shares Rise As Pharmacies Add Eli Lilly's Zepbound KwikPen
• Positive Sentiment: KR’s technical/momentum profile improved after a Relative Strength rating lift to 82, which can attract momentum and technical-focused buyers. Kroger Stock Gets Relative Strength Rating Lift To 82
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash flow (ex-dividend in May; paid June 1). Dividend growth history may underpin valuation support. Kroger's Board of Directors Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and post-earnings positioning continued to lift sentiment—notes point to EPS beats, FY2026 guidance and several price-target increases that have helped push shares higher after the March 5 results. Kroger shares rise 3.9% as post-earnings optimism and price-target hikes build
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger hit an all-time intraday high recently, reflecting momentum; while bullish, this can also invite short-term profit-taking. Kroger stock reaches all-time high at 74.92 USD
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close about 50 Little Clinics — a cost-cutting/reshaping move that may reduce near-term healthcare footprint and could signal lower near-term revenue from those locations. Investors may view this as a strategic tradeoff. Kroger plans to shutter 50 Little Clinics
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risks from the Iran war (Strait of Hormuz disruptions) could push up supply-chain costs and retail prices, pressuring margins for grocers including Kroger if input costs rise or supply chains tighten. This is an industry-level headwind with uncertain timing. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Seeking Alpha piece argued Kroger may be fairly valued after a rally and flagged a downgrade — a reminder some analysts see less upside after the run-up, which can cap near-term gains. Kroger: Strong E-commerce Growth, But Fairly Valued After Rally (Downgrade)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on KR. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.56.

Kroger Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of KR opened at $75.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market cap of $47.87 billion, a PE ratio of 49.44, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.03.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The business's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Kroger's payout ratio is 91.50%.

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.