Patton Fund Management Inc. Sells 40,249 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management cut its Kroger stake by 92% in Q4, selling 40,249 shares and leaving it with 3,516 shares valued at about $220,000.
• Analysts give Kroger a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $74.56 (nine Buy vs. eight Hold), though recent opinions range from Buy ($82 by Jefferies) to Equal Weight/Market Perform.
• Kroger beat Q earnings on EPS ($1.28 vs. $1.20) while revenue missed slightly, set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 EPS, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (2.1% yield) with a 91.5% payout ratio.

Patton Fund Management Inc. trimmed its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 92.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,516 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,249 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 72,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,870,000 after purchasing an additional 21,876 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 857,667 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,828,000 after purchasing an additional 394,060 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 45.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 855,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,690,000 after purchasing an additional 267,434 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its holdings in Kroger by 401.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 19,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,293,000 after purchasing an additional 15,586 shares during the period. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its holdings in Kroger by 64.7% in the 3rd quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 45,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,051,000 after purchasing an additional 17,777 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Kroger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.56.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wider distribution of Beyond Meat breakfast sausage at Kroger can boost foot traffic and fresh/plant-based sales, supporting category growth and add‑on purchases. Beyond Meat Stock Popped On Monday — Here's Why BYND Is Trending Overnight
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s title sponsorship of the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship is generating local buzz and incremental marketing value; events can strengthen brand, loyalty and grocery traffic in key regions. 'Really awesome' | Anticipation builds for LPGA Tour's Kroger Queen City Championship in May
• Positive Sentiment: An investor-oriented piece frames Kroger as a resilient, in‑demand supermarket operator, highlighting defensive qualities that can support multiple retailers during economic volatility. Tariffs, Oil Shocks, Recessions -- These 2 Warren Buffett Stocks Don't Care
• Neutral Sentiment: A study finds Kroger, Walmart and Publix time their biggest markdowns on the same weekday — useful for competitive pricing analysis but ambiguous for margins (could be tactical traffic driver or margin pressure). New Study Reveals Walmart, Kroger, and Publix All Do Their Biggest Price Markdowns on the Same Day of the Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Local promotions (Tax Day food deals, store giveaways) drive short-term traffic but have limited company‑wide earnings impact; these are likely neutral for broader investor sentiment. Kroger, Wendy's, 7-Eleven and more Tax Day food deals in Ohio
• Neutral Sentiment: Local marketing (e.g., Mechanicsville store gift‑card contest) supports community engagement but is not material to corporate financials. Win a $100 gift card to new Kroger in Mechanicsville
• Negative Sentiment: Headline legal troubles raise potential liability and regulatory risk; increased litigation or fines would be a clear negative for valuation and sentiment. Kroger faces more legal troubles
• Negative Sentiment: A recent shooting outside a Kroger store (repeat incident at the same location) raises safety/reputation concerns and could weigh on local traffic and store operations if incidents continue. Man shot outside Brookhaven Kroger; second shooting reported at same location in weeks

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $66.63 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $70.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.75. 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 stock has a market cap of $40.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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