Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management raised its Kroger stake by 3.1% in Q4, buying 38,512 shares to hold 1,287,586 shares (about 0.20% of the company) valued at roughly $81.07 million.
• Kroger beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.20) though revenue was slightly below expectations, and the company set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 per share (sell-side mean estimate ~5.24).
• Kroger declared a $0.35 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.40, ~2.1% yield) while analysts’ consensus is a “Hold” with an average price target of $74.56, and institutional investors own about 80.9% of the stock.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,287,586 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,512 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.20% of Kroger worth $81,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 268.1% during the fourth 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 100.0% during the third 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Erste Group Bank cut Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:KR opened at $66.43 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.42, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.Kroger's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

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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