Legal & General Group Plc Sells 147,315 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its Kroger stake by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 147,315 shares but still holding about 5.05 million shares valued at roughly $315.3 million.
• Recent news flow around Kroger has been mostly negative, including plans to cut prices on thousands of items, a leadership retirement, and a product recall that could pressure margins and investor sentiment.
• Despite those concerns, Kroger posted better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, beat EPS estimates, and maintained FY2026 guidance of 5.10 to 5.30 EPS; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target of $74.87.

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,045,745 shares of the company's stock after selling 147,315 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.80% of Kroger worth $315,258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 27.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,807,000 after acquiring an additional 16,270 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at $201,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.5% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 97,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,978,000 after acquiring an additional 10,051 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at $1,840,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Investors are reacting to reports that Kroger plans to cut prices on thousands of items to stay competitive with Walmart, Costco and other grocers. While lower prices may help drive traffic and market share, they could also squeeze margins in the near term. Kroger plans to cut prices on thousands of items to boost competitiveness, Bloomberg report says
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment also weakened after Kroger announced the retirement of Tim Massa, its Executive Vice President and Chief Associate Experience Officer, adding another leadership change at a time when the company is trying to execute on pricing and operational initiatives. Kroger announces retirement of Tim Massa, Executive Vice President and Chief Associate Experience Officer
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, a recall of Kroger-branded croutons in 17 states over possible salmonella contamination could weigh on investor confidence by raising food-safety and brand-reputation concerns. Kroger croutons recalled in 17 states over possible salmonella contamination
• Negative Sentiment: A market note from Zacks highlighted that KR fell despite broader market gains, reinforcing the view that investors are rotating out of the stock amid pricing-pressure worries. Kroger (KR) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger also continued to signal a push to strengthen its brand and community presence, including a NASCAR-themed event and broader marketing efforts, which are unlikely to move the stock much on their own. Kroger hosting “Team Tune-Up” event Friday in Lebanon, featuring NASCAR driver Ryan Preece

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.87.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $64.64 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.78. The company has a market capitalization of $39.60 billion, a PE ratio of 42.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger'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, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors 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 yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

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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