The Kroger Co. $KR Position Raised by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group boosted its Kroger stake by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 785,057 shares valued at about $49.1 million. Other institutions also added to or initiated positions, and institutional ownership now stands at 80.93%.
• Kroger beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $1.28 EPS versus the $1.20 estimate, though revenue came in slightly below forecasts at $34.73 billion. The company also raised FY2026 guidance to $5.10-$5.30 EPS.
• Shareholders will receive a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, payable June 1 to holders of record on May 15. That works out to an annualized dividend of $1.40 and a yield of about 2.1%.

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 785,057 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,568 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Kroger worth $49,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $962,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,807,000 after buying an additional 16,270 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at $201,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 11.5% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 97,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,978,000 after buying an additional 10,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at $1,840,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $65.68 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $70.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.74. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The company has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The company'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. Equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 91.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on KR. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.56.

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.

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