The Kroger Co. $KR Stock: Maj Invest Holding A S Lowers Holdings

Key Points

• Maj Invest Holding A S reduced its Kroger stake by 1.4% in the third quarter, selling 25,515 shares and retaining 1.76 million shares valued at approximately $102.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.93% of Kroger.
• Kroger’s latest quarter showed modest growth, with revenue up 2.0% year over year to $34.62 billion and adjusted earnings of $1.09 per share, beating estimates. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.10–$5.30.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and $70.35 price target, while Kroger announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, yielding approximately 2.4% annually.

Maj Invest Holding A S trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 1.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,755,027 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,515 shares during the period. Kroger comprises about 4.5% of Maj Invest Holding A S's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Maj Invest Holding A S owned approximately 0.30% of Kroger worth $102,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Kroger by 17.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 876,168 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Kroger by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,332,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,116,000 after purchasing an additional 506,776 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major expansion planned: Kroger intends to add approximately 110 stores by 2029, using three new formats that could broaden its reach and support sales growth. Several new-store projects, including a planned 100,000-square-foot location, are also advancing. Kroger Plots 110 New Stores by 2029
• Positive Sentiment: $5 billion customer-value investment: Kroger plans to invest in lower everyday prices and simpler promotions. The strategy may improve customer loyalty and competitiveness over time, although it could require significant near-term spending. Kroger To Invest $5B In Customer Value
• Positive Sentiment: New products and merchandising initiatives: Kroger is adding Burger King’s seasonal pretzel burger bun and is promoting highly rated exclusive wines, while a holiday fresh-herb program expands supplier activity ahead of the key shopping season. These developments are modest positives for traffic and product differentiation. Kroger wines earn elite scores
• Neutral Sentiment: E-commerce transformation: Kroger is pursuing a “fresh, fast and personal” digital strategy, potentially improving online grocery economics and customer engagement, but the articles provide no financial targets or evidence of immediate earnings impact. Kroger Maps E-Commerce Transformation
• Negative Sentiment: Market-share concerns: A report described additional bad news for Kroger’s market share, reinforcing worries that Walmart, Costco and other price-focused competitors are taking customers. Kroger receives more bad news with market share
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and reputational risks: Coverage of rivals’ lower-price strategies, Kroger’s proposed data-collection practices and a reported $17 million unfair-pricing settlement add pressure to the company’s brand and profitability outlook. Kroger unfair pricing settlement

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total transaction of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Melius Research set a $80.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.35.

Kroger Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE KR opened at $65.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.33, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $54.15 and a one year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The business's fifty day moving average is $60.24 and its 200-day moving average is $63.53.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 84.78%.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry's, Harris Teeter and Smith's, among others.

Kroger's business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.

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