CX Institutional Cuts Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• CX Institutional cut its Kroger stake by 43.3% in the third quarter, selling 18,417 shares and retaining 24,133 shares valued at approximately $1.42 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.93% of Kroger.
• Kroger exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.09 in EPS versus the $1.05 consensus, while revenue rose 2% year over year to $34.62 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.10–$5.30 and declared a $0.39 quarterly dividend.
• Analysts remain moderately bullish, with a consensus price target of $69.69 versus a recent share price near $59, though softer comparable-sales guidance and rising costs continue to weigh on the outlook.

CX Institutional decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 43.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,133 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,417 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,016,956,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $195,234,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $157,533,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $119,723,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at $10,636,643.10. This trade represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity provided a bullish signal: investors bought 37,928 call options, about 150% above the average call volume. This may indicate increased expectations for a rebound, although options activity alone does not guarantee sustained buying.
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is testing 24-hour operations at six Ohio and Indiana stores, seeking to win back customers and improve sales by offering greater convenience. Kroger tests 24-hour stores
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues investing in its store base, including a $2 million renovation of Royal Lakes Marketplace and a new Marketplace location in Delaware. These projects could support customer traffic and longer-term sales growth. Royal Lakes Marketplace renovation Delaware Marketplace store
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s e-commerce sales are growing about 20%, and the company is improving digital profitability. Its new Mastercard rewards program could also increase customer loyalty and spending across grocery and fuel categories. Kroger digital growth analysis Kroger Rewards Mastercard
• Neutral Sentiment: New employee uniforms and broader in-store changes may improve consistency and customer experience, but they are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Kroger employee uniforms
• Negative Sentiment: The main pressure remains Kroger’s softer fiscal 2026 identical-sales outlook and rising operating costs. Analysts describe the valuation and earnings as relatively resilient, but slower comparable growth limits the near-term upside. Kroger valuation and sales outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Protests over the higher cost of cage-free eggs highlight consumer price sensitivity and the risk that inflation-related pricing could hurt traffic or brand perception. Cage-free egg protests

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $58.99 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $58.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.51. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.84 billion, a PE ratio of 32.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 84.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 target price (down from $71.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.69.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co is a U.S.-based food and consumer goods retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company has grown into one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States.

Kroger operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, marketplace-format stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. Its stores sell groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery and deli products, household essentials, health and beauty items, and general merchandise. The company also offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs, and a range of private-label products.

The company serves customers across numerous U.S.

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