Strs Ohio Buys 32,225 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Strs Ohio raised its stake in The Kroger Co. by 9.6%, buying 32,225 shares to own 366,726 shares worth about $22.91 million (roughly 0.06% of the company) at quarter end.
• Kroger reported Q results of $1.28 EPS, beating estimates by $0.08 while revenue of $34.73 billion slightly missed expectations, and the company set FY2026 guidance of 5.10–5.30 EPS (analysts forecast ~5.24 EPS).
• Kroger declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (annual $1.40, yield 2.1%, DPR 91.5%); the stock carries a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" with a $74.56 price target.

Strs Ohio raised its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 366,726 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 32,225 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned about 0.06% of Kroger worth $22,913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 268.1% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on KR. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.56.

Kroger Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:KR opened at $67.80 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $70.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.81. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market cap of $41.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. The company'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. Equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

About Kroger

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report).

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.