Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 21,374 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Dana Investment Advisors cut its Kroger stake by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 21,374 shares and leaving it with 387,091 shares worth about $24.2 million.
• Kroger reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.28 per share for the quarter, though revenue of $34.73 billion came in slightly below estimates. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to $5.10–$5.30 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, payable June 1, and the stock recently traded down 1.1% to $66.08, with analysts holding a mixed but generally cautious view and a consensus rating of Hold.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 387,091 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,374 shares during the period. Kroger comprises 0.7% of Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. owned 0.06% of Kroger worth $24,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 17,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its stake in Kroger by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 123,465 shares of the company's stock worth $7,714,000 after purchasing an additional 4,282 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $996,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its stake in Kroger by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 40,015 shares of the company's stock worth $2,500,000 after purchasing an additional 8,946 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Kroger by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,234 shares of the company's stock worth $4,201,000 after purchasing an additional 4,791 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Harris Teeter, a Kroger banner, launched a week-long customer appreciation sale with daily deals and 4x fuel points, which could support traffic and sales at the grocery chain. Harris Teeter Offers VIC Card Members Daily Deals, 4x Fuel Points During Week-Long Customer Appreciation Sale May 13-19
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted the Kroger Queen City Championship and local golfers, keeping the company’s brand visible in a community event that can reinforce customer engagement. Xavier University golfers bring hometown buzz to Kroger Queen City Championship
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s recent share-price softness may be attracting value-focused investors who see potential upside after a multi-month pullback. Is Kroger (KR) Offering Opportunity After Recent Share Price Softness?

Kroger Trading Down 1.1%

Kroger stock opened at $66.08 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $69.99 and a 200-day moving average of $66.65. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $58.60 and a one year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $40.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Barclays reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.56.

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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