The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its Kroger stake by 22.3% in the first quarter, buying 17,075 more shares and bringing its position to 93,634 shares valued at about $6.78 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but positive overall, with 10 analysts rating Kroger a Buy, 9 rating it Hold, and a consensus Moderate Buy target price of $72.00.
• Kroger posted solid revenue but missed EPS slightly in its latest quarter, reporting $1.58 per share versus $1.59 expected on revenue of $46.12 billion; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 from $0.35.

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 22.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,634 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,075 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 268.1% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at $33,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Erste Group Bank cut Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $59.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $36.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.44. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $62.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.74. 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 Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $54.15 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

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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