Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Cuts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its Kroger position by 70.5% in the first quarter, selling 87,517 shares and retaining 36,584 shares valued at approximately $2.65 million.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial at 80.93%, with major investors including Vanguard, State Street and GQG Partners increasing their stakes.
• Kroger has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and a $72 average analyst price target, while the stock recently traded at $57.82. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 per share.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 70.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,584 shares of the company's stock after selling 87,517 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund's holdings in Kroger were worth $2,647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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 period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company's stock worth $2,153,622,000 after purchasing an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company's stock worth $837,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360,946 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Kroger by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company's stock worth $889,878,000 after purchasing an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $470,561,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger could improve its national grocery-market ranking following its planned Giant Eagle acquisition, potentially expanding scale and market share. Kroger poised to rise in national grocery market share rankings
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion remains a longer-term growth catalyst, with a $40 million Little Elm, Texas, store and approval for a new location in Dunwoody, Georgia. Kroger spends $40 million on new Little Elm store
• Positive Sentiment: A grocery-price study ranking Kroger ahead of Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons may support its value-focused positioning and customer retention. Kroger tops Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons in grocery price study
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity has drawn attention and may signal a larger upcoming move in KR, but the available report does not establish whether traders are positioned for a rise or decline. Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in Kroger Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger launched an AI meal-planning assistant, which could improve digital engagement, personalization and loyalty, though financial benefits are still unproven. Kroger Debuts AI Shopping Assistant for Meal Planning
• Negative Sentiment: A settled lawsuit involving a worker’s suicide adds reputational and potential legal-cost concerns, although settlement terms were not disclosed. Kroger settles lawsuit over worker suicide
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures in Michigan will eliminate 68 jobs and could highlight weaker locations or ongoing efforts to optimize the store base. Kroger store closure to affect 68 jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer complaints alleging pricing discrepancies create regulatory and trust risks, particularly for a company competing on value. Consumer group claims Kroger has pricing discrepancies

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Barclays set a $61.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

KR opened at $57.82 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $59.87 and a 200 day moving average of $65.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The firm has a market cap of $35.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.35%.

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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