Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $10.56 Million Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Wealthfront increased its Kroger stake by 15.4% in Q4 to 169,004 shares worth $10.56 million, and institutional investors now own about 80.93% of the company with Vanguard and Wellington holding multi‑billion‑dollar positions.
• EPS beat and guidance: Kroger reported $1.28 EPS versus $1.20 expected and set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 (sell‑side consensus ~5.24), while the stock carries an average analyst rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.56 with a trailing P/E around 43.8.
• Dividend announced: Kroger declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 ($1.40 annualized) for a ~2.1% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of May 15 and a payout ratio near 91.5%.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 169,004 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,579 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $10,559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after acquiring an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Kroger by 61.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Kroger by 15.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,327,182 shares of the company's stock valued at $426,515,000 after acquiring an additional 865,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Kroger by 66.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,245,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100,444 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on KR. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays restated a "positive" rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is converting its annual Wellness Festival into a multi-city/touring format for 2026, which management says will broaden customer engagement and in-store traffic — a potential boost to same-store sales and brand visibility. Kroger Wellness Festival to become traveling tour in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Editorial coverage highlighting “The 8 Best New Items To Grab At Kroger” can drive trial and basket growth as Kroger markets private-label and new SKUs to shoppers. Product momentum helps near-term traffic and margin mix. The 8 Best New Items To Grab At Kroger In May 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat and Kroger set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30, which underpins longer-term earnings expectations and supports investor confidence. (See company summary and analyst consensus.) Kroger MarketBeat profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: analysis pieces argue KR’s recent pullback may present value given long-term gains, but the stock still trades at a relatively high P/E vs. some peers — this discussion is keeping trading mixed as investors decide between growth vs. valuation risk. Is Kroger (KR) Offering Value After Recent Pullback And High P/E Multiple
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector watch: commentary on Sprouts Farmers’ upcoming results highlights margin and traffic pressures in the healthy/grocery segment — outcomes at peers could influence Kroger’s comps and investor expectations. What's Sprouts Farmers' Probability of an Earnings Beat This Season?
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded Kroger to Hold from Buy and trimmed its FY2027 EPS slightly, citing limited medium-term valuation upside — the downgrade can weigh on sentiment and cap short-term rallies despite solid fundamentals. Erste Group Downgrades Kroger (KR) to Hold

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $67.07 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $70.37 and a 200-day moving average of $66.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $41.09 billion, a PE ratio of 43.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.55. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.60 and a 52-week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. Kroger's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

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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