Liberty One Investment Management LLC Has $29.76 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 14.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 411,289 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 51,819 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 3.1% of Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $29,761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 3,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 10,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $674,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 17,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 5,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is continuing to hire ahead of the back-to-school season, with an event aimed at filling hundreds of jobs across stores in four states. That suggests ongoing labor demand and support for store operations. Back-to-school hiring event seeks to fill hundreds of jobs at Kroger stores in 4 states, including Indiana
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is also rolling out automation in some Columbus-area stores with a robot stocking program, which could improve efficiency over time but is not an immediate earnings catalyst. Columbus area Kroger stores launch robot program for stocking items
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple recalls of eggs and fruit purée pouches sold at Kroger stores are creating unwanted attention around food safety and could pressure customer trust and short-term sales. The recalled items were linked to potential salmonella or plastic contamination concerns. Here’s Why Kroger (KR) Fell More Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment across grocery stocks weakened after Albertsons cut its guidance and warned about softer consumer demand, reinforcing concerns that shoppers are pulling back on grocery spending and that margins may stay under pressure for Kroger as well. Kroger, Dollar Tree, and Grocery Outlet Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $55.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.45. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $54.15 and a one year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The company had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

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.