Cibc World Market Inc. Sells 117,302 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Cibc World Market Inc. cut its Kroger stake by 55.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 117,302 shares and leaving it with 94,475 shares worth about $5.9 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but slightly constructive: Kroger has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with 9 Buy ratings and 8 Hold ratings, and a consensus target price of $74.73.
• Kroger posted a recent earnings beat, reporting $1.28 EPS versus the $1.20 estimate, while also facing some headwinds including a DOJ emissions settlement and reports of possible executive turnover.

Cibc World Market Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 55.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 94,475 shares of the company's stock after selling 117,302 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,903,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 17,995 shares of the company's stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 5,348 shares of the company's stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the company's stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 15,756 shares of the company's stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,328 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued 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 $74.73.

Key Headlines 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 Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $63.59 on Monday. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $67.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.63. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The stock has a market cap 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.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

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