Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Acquires 17,657 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments boosted its Kroger stake by 13.6% in Q4, buying 17,657 shares to hold 147,669 shares worth approximately $9.23 million.
• Kroger beat Q4 EPS with $1.28 vs. $1.20 expected but posted revenue of $34.73 billion (below the $35.10 billion estimate); the company set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 EPS and the consensus price target is $74.56 with a "Moderate Buy" rating.
• Dividend announced: Kroger declared a $0.35 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.40, yield ~2.1%) payable June 1, with a high payout ratio of 91.5%.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,669 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,657 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 268.1% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $68.15 on Monday. 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 stock has a market cap of $41.75 billion, a PE ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.70 and a 200-day moving average of $66.76. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $58.60 and a one year high of $76.58.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.56.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.