The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada cut its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 19.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,363,819 shares of the company’s stock after selling 584,500 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.39% of Kroger worth $171,047,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allstate Corp raised its holdings in Kroger by 108.5% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,998,000 after buying an additional 24,976 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,821,546,000 after acquiring an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 10,178.7% during the 4th quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 507,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,706,000 after acquiring an additional 502,522 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 894,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,946,000 after acquiring an additional 209,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,299,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is expanding its store footprint, including a planned replacement store in Dunwoody, Georgia, and a roughly $40 million location in Little Elm, Texas. These investments could support long-term sales growth and market share. Dunwoody approves new Kroger store Kroger spends $40 million on new Little Elm store
• Positive Sentiment: A grocery price study ranked Kroger ahead of Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons, potentially reinforcing its value proposition as consumers remain price-sensitive. Kroger tops grocery price study
• Positive Sentiment: The company introduced an AI shopping assistant for meal planning, which could improve personalization, digital engagement and customer retention. Kroger debuts AI shopping assistant
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader investor interest is moving toward natural and health-focused food retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market, United Natural Foods and Simply Good Foods. The trend may benefit grocery demand generally, but no specific Kroger earnings impact was reported. Natural foods stocks gain
• Negative Sentiment: A consumer group cited approximately 1,700 complaints alleging pricing discrepancies at Kroger stores. If substantiated, the issue could create reputational, regulatory and margin risks. Consumer group pricing discrepancy claims
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s highly competitive, membership-driven gasoline model highlights pressure on traditional grocers’ fuel-loyalty programs and customer economics. This is an industry competitive concern rather than a direct Kroger announcement. How Costco engineered the perfect gas station

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $57.97 on Friday. 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 $35.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $60.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

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). The business had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 82.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. UBS Group set a $63.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 19th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.