CIBC Asset Management Inc Raises Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• CIBC Asset Management increased its Kroger stake by 45.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 49,453 shares and bringing its total holding to 159,210 shares worth about $9.95 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed but constructive: several firms reiterated Buy ratings and lifted price targets, while Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to Equal Weight; overall, Kroger’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a target of $74.73.
• Kroger reported Q4 EPS of $1.28, topping estimates, and it recently paid a $0.35 quarterly dividend for a 2.2% yield. The stock was also up 2.2% in Friday trading, opening at $63.59.

CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 159,210 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 49,453 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc's holdings in Kroger were worth $9,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Stephens Inc. AR raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 17,995 shares of the company's stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the company's stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 15,756 shares of the company's stock worth $984,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,328 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,904 shares of the company's stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.73.

Kroger Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $63.59 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $67.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.63. The stock has a market cap of $38.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.42. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report).

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.