The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Bank of America Corp DE

Key Points

• Bank of America increased its Kroger stake by 17% in the first quarter, purchasing 876,168 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 6.04 million shares valued at approximately $437.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.93% of Kroger.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $72, despite mixed recent revisions. Kroger’s shares opened at $57.82, near the lower end of their 52-week range.
• Kroger slightly missed quarterly EPS estimates but exceeded revenue expectations, reporting $46.12 billion in revenue and 2.2% year-over-year growth. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 per share, implying a 2.7% yield.

Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 17.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,041,028 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 876,168 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned about 0.99% of Kroger worth $437,129,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 12.9% during the first quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 42,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,109,000 after acquiring an additional 4,893 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 143.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 87,153 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,305,000 after purchasing an additional 51,308 shares in the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council lifted its holdings in Kroger by 54.5% in the 1st quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 6,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in Kroger by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,332,191 shares of the company's stock worth $241,116,000 after purchasing an additional 506,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 46.1% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,019 shares of the company's stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 1,583 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE KR opened at $57.82 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $59.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The firm has a market cap of $35.43 billion, a PE ratio of 34.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.44. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The company's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger's payout ratio is 82.35%.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger could improve its national grocery-market ranking following its planned Giant Eagle acquisition, potentially expanding scale and market share. Kroger poised to rise in national grocery market share rankings
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion remains a longer-term growth catalyst, with a $40 million Little Elm, Texas, store and approval for a new location in Dunwoody, Georgia. Kroger spends $40 million on new Little Elm store
• Positive Sentiment: A grocery-price study ranking Kroger ahead of Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons may support its value-focused positioning and customer retention. Kroger tops Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons in grocery price study
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity has drawn attention and may signal a larger upcoming move in KR, but the available report does not establish whether traders are positioned for a rise or decline. Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in Kroger Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger launched an AI meal-planning assistant, which could improve digital engagement, personalization and loyalty, though financial benefits are still unproven. Kroger Debuts AI Shopping Assistant for Meal Planning
• Negative Sentiment: A settled lawsuit involving a worker’s suicide adds reputational and potential legal-cost concerns, although settlement terms were not disclosed. Kroger settles lawsuit over worker suicide
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures in Michigan will eliminate 68 jobs and could highlight weaker locations or ongoing efforts to optimize the store base. Kroger store closure to affect 68 jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer complaints alleging pricing discrepancies create regulatory and trust risks, particularly for a company competing on value. Consumer group claims Kroger has pricing discrepancies

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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