Narwhal Capital Management Purchases 18,649 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Narwhal Capital Management grew its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 163.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,081 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,649 shares during the quarter. Narwhal Capital Management's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $209,000. Caldwell Trust Co increased its stake in Kroger by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 27,798 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,737,000 after buying an additional 3,007 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 169,004 shares of the company's stock worth $10,559,000 after buying an additional 22,579 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $166,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is turning its annual Wellness Festival into a multi-city, in-store tour for 2026 — a move likely to boost community engagement, drive store traffic and reinforce Kroger’s health/wellness positioning. Kroger Wellness Festival leaves Cincinnati for 2026, shifts to other cities
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer coverage highlights recent Kroger private‑label wins and new product buzz (e.g., a Kroger breakfast sandwich gaining traction and a roundup of “best new items”), which can lift margins and basket spend if adoption scales. The 8 Best New Items To Grab At Kroger In May 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger earned a platinum rating for career growth in a workforce analysis — a positive for talent retention and execution capacity across stores and operations. Kroger Earns Platinum Rating For Career Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Kroger’s upcoming quarter to show a single‑digit EPS increase; investors will focus on traffic trends, margin cadence and management commentary. What to Expect From Kroger's Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion: recent pullback has reopened the debate over whether KR’s premium P/E and growth outlook are priced in — a mixed signal for longer‑term buyers. Is Kroger (KR) Offering Value After Recent Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded Kroger from “buy” to “hold,” which can pressure sentiment among growth‑oriented investors. Analyst downgrade report
• Negative Sentiment: State-level policy moves (e.g., Maryland exploring bans on “surveillance pricing” for grocers/delivery platforms) introduce regulatory risk that could affect pricing strategies and margin levers going forward. Maryland surveillance pricing article
• Negative Sentiment: Recent short-term price weakness and coverage noting a pullback (and a daily decline reported in market summaries) keep near-term sentiment cautious ahead of earnings. Kroger stock declines summary

Kroger Stock Up 1.5%

Kroger stock opened at $66.91 on Wednesday. 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 $70.40 and its 200-day moving average is $66.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.99 billion, a PE ratio of 43.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.55. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 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 period last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. Kroger's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KR. Barclays reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of "Hold" 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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