Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $27.04 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas reduced its Kroger stake by 28.9%, selling 176,191 shares and retaining 432,742 shares worth $27.04 million.
• Several large institutions (Wellington, Allianz, Worldquant, Raymond James, Alyeska) materially increased positions, and institutional investors now hold 80.93% of Kroger, indicating heavy institutional interest.
• Analysts are broadly positive with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $74.56; Kroger beat quarterly EPS estimates, set FY26 guidance of 5.10–5.30 EPS, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (~2.0% yield).

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 28.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 432,742 shares of the company's stock after selling 176,191 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.07% of Kroger worth $27,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Kroger by 61.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company's stock worth $2,249,307,000 after buying an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Kroger by 66.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company's stock worth $354,245,000 after buying an additional 2,100,444 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 299.6% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company's stock worth $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company's stock worth $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its stake in Kroger by 51.0% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,991,513 shares of the company's stock worth $201,658,000 after buying an additional 1,010,457 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.56.

Kroger Trading Up 1.6%

KR opened at $69.13 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year 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 company has a market cap of $42.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.82.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The business's 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. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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 $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.50%.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway vote of confidence — Warren Buffett’s firm has built Kroger into a multibillion-dollar holding, increasing the position since 2019; that continued institutional endorsement supports investor sentiment and valuation. Why Does Kroger (KR) Has Warren Buffett’s Confidence Since 2019?
• Positive Sentiment: Retail partnerships and assortment: Beyond Meat’s nationwide launch of its new Beyond Chicken Pieces at 2,000+ Kroger stores can drive incremental sales in plant‑based categories and strengthens Kroger’s center-store differentiation. Beyond Meat® Launches New Beyond Chicken® Pieces Spicy Buffalo at Kroger Stores Nationwide
• Positive Sentiment: Workforce and execution focus — Kroger earned recognition for career progression and launched Pearl Street Academy to improve retention and internal mobility; investors view this as lowering execution risk and supporting margins over time. Kroger Workforce Push And Valuation Gap Draw Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotions and marketing — Kroger’s “Online Deal Days” short-term sales event can boost near-term e‑commerce volume, but its impact on margins and sticky sales is uncertain. Kroger launches 'Online Deal Days' event with special discounts on groceries
• Neutral Sentiment: Local growth/planning items — A planning commission approved a Kroger + apartment project (mixed long‑term benefit via foot traffic, short‑term limited impact). Planning Commission approves Kroger, apartment building on 14 Mile Road
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotional tie‑ins — In‑store promotions (e.g., Hot Wheels collector campaign) and community volunteer programs are brand‑positive but unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Score A Hot Wheels Collector Edition 1991 GMC Syclone By Shopping At Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures and executive changes — Local reports of recent store closures and a notable shakeup in executive ranks can raise near‑term execution concerns and raise questions about growth cadence. Kroger made biggest shakeup in more than a decade in store count, executive officers over past year
• Negative Sentiment: Operational disruption — Isolated incidents such as a false bomb threat and evacuations are negative PR but have limited long‑term impact unless they recur at scale. Man charged after false bomb threat forces Kroger evacuation in Fountain City

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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