Swiss National Bank Sells 90,100 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank trimmed its Kroger stake by 4.7%, selling 90,100 shares in Q3 and now holds 1,810,500 shares (about 0.27% of the company) valued at roughly $122.0 million.
• Kroger beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.20) and set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30, while new CEO Greg Foran's growth priorities and a mix of analyst upgrades and holds (consensus rating "Moderate Buy" with a $74.56 average target) are viewed as key near- to mid-term catalysts.

Swiss National Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,810,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 90,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.27% of Kroger worth $122,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,997,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $202,014,000 after purchasing an additional 28,065 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.4% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,491,076 shares of the company's stock worth $99,052,000 after buying an additional 116,077 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 21,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,459,000 after buying an additional 1,220 shares during the last quarter. Flavin Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Kroger by 49.6% during the 3rd quarter. Flavin Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,838 shares of the company's stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Finally, PFG Advisors bought a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth $391,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target to $83 and reiterated an Outperform rating, citing Kroger’s ability to deliver modest comparable-sales growth (roughly 1%–2% for 2026). That analyst backing is providing direct upside to the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Greg Foran laid out five growth priorities and pledged changes to boost customer loyalty and fresh merchandising — investors view the leadership shift as a catalyst for margin improvement and execution on omnichannel and private-label initiatives. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced the return of its Customer Appreciation Week (March 11–17) with daily digital deals — a near-term promotional driver that could boost traffic and comparable sales for the current quarter. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup nudged its target higher (to $71) but maintained a Neutral rating — a modest move that signals some expected upside but not a strong buy endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses show Kroger has underperformed some retail peers over the past year, which tempers enthusiasm and keeps upside tied to execution on the new CEO’s plan. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The USDA expanded a recall of frozen fried rice products that included items sold at Kroger/Trader Joe’s — a short-term hit to sales in affected SKUs and a potential small cost for markdowns/returns and reputational risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Labor/working-conditions coverage raises execution and cost-risk questions under the new CEO (potential for higher wage/operational friction or union scrutiny), which investors will watch as strategy rolls out. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.56.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $72.30 on Wednesday. The business's fifty day moving average is $65.76 and its 200 day moving average is $65.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market cap of $45.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.26, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. 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.