The Kroger Co. $KR Stock: Fulcrum Asset Management LLP Reduces Position

Fulcrum Asset Management LLP lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,914 shares of the company's stock after selling 69,789 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP's holdings in Kroger were worth $3,581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $889,878,000 after buying an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Kroger by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company's stock valued at $437,129,000 after buying an additional 876,168 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Kroger by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,942,230 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,912,000 after buying an additional 610,039 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen raised Kroger’s stock rating to Buy, providing a favorable analyst signal. Kroger Stock Rating Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is offering veterans and military families a 10% Veterans Day discount. The promotion may support customer goodwill, but its financial impact is likely limited. Kroger Offers Veterans Day Discount
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports of vehicles crashing into Kroger store entrances concern individual locations and do not indicate a company-wide operating issue. A meal-prep video featuring Kroger groceries is also unlikely to materially affect the stock. Driver Cited After Crashing Into Local Kroger Honeysuckle Meal-Preps With Kroger Groceries
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage underscores Kroger’s challenge competing on price: Consumer Reports put its prices 14.8% above Walmart’s, and Kroger’s CEO has said the company is not trying to be the cheapest. A persistent gap could make it harder to retain price-sensitive shoppers or grow sales, even if competing on price is not Kroger’s strategy. Kroger’s Price Gap With Walmart Regional Grocers’ Pricing Challenge

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This trade represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6%

KR stock opened at $68.14 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $61.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.75. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The company has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 14th. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Melius Research set a $80.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised Kroger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.35.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S. grocery retailer founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883 by Bernard Kroger. It operates supermarkets and other grocery formats across the United States under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, and Smith's.

Alongside groceries and household essentials, Kroger stores offer services such as pharmacies and fuel centers. The company also sells products under its own private-label brands and produces many of those items through its food manufacturing operations.

Kroger serves customers through physical stores and digital channels, including online ordering for pickup and delivery.

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