The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Pettee Investors Inc.

Key Points

• Pettee Investors cut its Kroger stake by 78.4% in Q4, selling 32,105 shares and retaining 8,842 shares worth $552,000, while institutional investors collectively own about 80.93% of the company.
• Kroger beat quarterly EPS expectations with $1.28 vs. $1.20 consensus, set FY2026 guidance of 5.100–5.300 EPS, and analysts project roughly 5.24 EPS for the year.
• Kroger declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (annualized $1.40), implying a 2.1% yield and an ex-dividend date of May 15, though the dividend payout ratio is a high 91.5%.

Pettee Investors Inc. decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 78.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,842 shares of the company's stock after selling 32,105 shares during the quarter. Pettee Investors Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WESPAC Advisors LLC grew its position in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company's stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC grew its position in Kroger by 16.8% in the third quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas grew its position in Kroger by 0.9% in the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Kroger by 2.9% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 6,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Kroger by 3.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.4%

KR stock opened at $67.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $70.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.81. The firm has a market cap of $41.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.31, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (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 last year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group increased 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Eight 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, the company 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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