Legal & General Group Plc Has $350.06 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Legal & General raised its Kroger stake 4.7% to 5,193,060 shares worth $350.06M (about 0.78% of the company), joining other large institutional buyers such as Norges Bank and Allianz as institutional ownership sits at 80.93%.
• Kroger beat EPS this quarter ($1.28 vs. $1.20) but slightly missed on revenue, set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 EPS, and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target around $74.56 while some firms (Evercore, Telsey, Jefferies) have raised targets.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (annualized $1.40, yield 1.9%) with a high payout ratio of 91.5%, and currently trades at a PE of 47.17 with a market cap of about $45.7B, indicating a relatively rich valuation.

Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,193,060 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 233,466 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.78% of Kroger worth $350,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Kroger by 66.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $173,622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,127 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $65,450,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

KR opened at $72.16 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.67 billion, a PE ratio of 47.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.62. 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's 50-day moving average is $65.95 and its 200 day moving average is $65.93.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 91.50%.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on KR to $83 and reiterated an Outperform rating, citing the company’s guidance for modest comparable‑sales growth (1%–2%) for 2026 — a near‑term analyst vote of confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup published a bullish forecast for Kroger, highlighting upside potential in the stock — supportive for medium‑term price appreciation if execution continues. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Greg Foran outlined five growth priorities and pledged changes to boost customer loyalty; Kroger also relaunched a Customer Appreciation Week with daily digital deals — these moves aim to drive traffic and margin improvement. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger won new retail placements from CPG brands (example: Hurray’s GIRL BEER expanding into Kroger), which can incrementally boost assortment and non‑food sales. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado, whose exclusive technical relationship with Kroger ended last year, is pitching a scaled‑down store‑based automation model to other U.S. retailers — signals about third‑party automation partners but not an immediate operational hit to Kroger. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market pieces assessing Kroger’s valuation note solid earnings/guide and capital returns versus recent rally — useful context that helps explain mixed analyst views on upside from current levels. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a downgrade: while acknowledging strong e‑commerce growth, the piece argues Kroger looks fairly valued after its rally — negative for sentiment and a potential headwind if other analysts follow. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The USDA expanded a recall of frozen fried rice that includes Kroger‑branded product SKUs — a small but tangible operational/recall cost and reputational item to monitor. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several local crime incidents at Kroger locations (attempted assaults, robberies, and customers fending off attackers) have been reported across markets — potential reputational and local security costs if trends persist. Article Title Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore set a $77.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" 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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