The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn increased its Kroger stake by 45.5% in Q3 to 855,810 shares—about $57.7 million—as part of a market where institutional investors now own roughly 80.9% of the stock.
• Kroger beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.20) but slightly missed revenue expectations, issued FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 EPS, and carries an analyst consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $74.56 target.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (annual yield ~1.9%) but has a high payout ratio (~91.5%) and a trailing P/E near 47x, indicating relatively elevated valuation after recent gains.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 45.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 855,810 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 267,434 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.13% of Kroger worth $57,690,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 87.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of KR stock opened at $72.16 on Thursday. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $65.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.93. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $45.67 billion, a PE ratio of 47.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The company had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger'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. As a group, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on KR to $83 and reiterated an Outperform rating, citing the company’s guidance for modest comparable‑sales growth (1%–2%) for 2026 — a near‑term analyst vote of confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup published a bullish forecast for Kroger, highlighting upside potential in the stock — supportive for medium‑term price appreciation if execution continues. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Greg Foran outlined five growth priorities and pledged changes to boost customer loyalty; Kroger also relaunched a Customer Appreciation Week with daily digital deals — these moves aim to drive traffic and margin improvement. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger won new retail placements from CPG brands (example: Hurray’s GIRL BEER expanding into Kroger), which can incrementally boost assortment and non‑food sales. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado, whose exclusive technical relationship with Kroger ended last year, is pitching a scaled‑down store‑based automation model to other U.S. retailers — signals about third‑party automation partners but not an immediate operational hit to Kroger. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market pieces assessing Kroger’s valuation note solid earnings/guide and capital returns versus recent rally — useful context that helps explain mixed analyst views on upside from current levels. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a downgrade: while acknowledging strong e‑commerce growth, the piece argues Kroger looks fairly valued after its rally — negative for sentiment and a potential headwind if other analysts follow. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The USDA expanded a recall of frozen fried rice that includes Kroger‑branded product SKUs — a small but tangible operational/recall cost and reputational item to monitor. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several local crime incidents at Kroger locations (attempted assaults, robberies, and customers fending off attackers) have been reported across markets — potential reputational and local security costs if trends persist. Article Title Article Title

Kroger 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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