The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management cut its Kroger stake by 38.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,071 shares and leaving it with 27,118 shares valued at about $1.69 million.
• Kroger reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.28 beating estimates, though revenue of $34.73 billion came in slightly below expectations. Revenue still rose 1.2% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $74.73, even as one firm downgraded the stock to hold.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 38.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,118 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,071 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 61.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after buying an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 299.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,127 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in Kroger by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,991,513 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its position in Kroger by 49.4% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,815,217 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,774,000 after purchasing an additional 930,822 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 2.2%

KR stock opened at $63.59 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.42. The firm's 50-day moving average is $67.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released 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 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 firm earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 91.50%.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its new limited-time “All-American Ice Cream Collection” and giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift traffic and reinforce customer engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports noted new or upcoming Kroger Marketplace openings and development progress in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, signaling continued store expansion and local market investment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and local-news pieces highlighted the ice cream giveaway and store openings, but these are largely promotional updates rather than material financial catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a $2.5 million DOJ settlement over alleged Clean Air Act emissions violations, which adds a legal and compliance overhang even if the dollar amount is relatively small. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report suggesting Kroger may lose more executives could raise concerns about management turnover and continuity. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.73.

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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