Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Grows Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden boosted its Kroger stake by 58.1% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 558,033 shares valued at about $40.4 million.
• Kroger reported quarterly earnings of $1.58 per share, slightly below estimates, while revenue came in at $46.12 billion and rose 2.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 per share from $0.35.
• Recent news around Kroger is being driven by its Giant Eagle acquisition, which adds significant supermarket scale and revenue, though investors are also watching debt and integration risks closely.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 58.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 558,033 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 205,150 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund owned about 0.09% of Kroger worth $40,379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Kroger by 61.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company's stock worth $2,249,307,000 after buying an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company's stock worth $2,153,622,000 after buying an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company's stock worth $837,113,000 after buying an additional 1,360,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $764,932,000 after buying an additional 122,606 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $58.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.91. 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 $35.61 billion, a PE ratio of 34.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.44.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The company had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 91.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KR. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered Kroger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.94.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s purchase of Giant Eagle adds about 197 supermarkets, 11 pharmacies, and roughly $9 billion in annual revenue, giving KR immediate scale in five states. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary suggest the deal could be margin-stable and accretive to earnings, which supports the bull case for Kroger’s growth outlook. TipRanks article
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $71 price target, signaling confidence that KR still has upside from current levels. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger also named Emilee De Martino as its next Chief People Officer, a leadership change that is unlikely to be a major stock driver on its own. PR Newswire article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary notes the acquisition will likely be watched closely for financing, debt, and integration execution, so investor reaction may remain mixed until more details emerge. MarketBeat article
• Negative Sentiment: The market is also aware that Kroger’s balance sheet is already levered, so taking on Giant Eagle’s liabilities could weigh on sentiment if integration costs or debt concerns increase. Retail Insight Network article

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.

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