Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Buys New Shares in The Kroger Co. $KR

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 958,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,241,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors purchased approximately 36,013 call options on Kroger, about 168% above the typical daily volume. The activity may indicate increased speculative or hedging interest in a potential rebound, although options trading alone does not guarantee future gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s nationwide Instacart integration allows customers to combine groceries and eligible prescription deliveries in one order across more than 2,200 pharmacy locations and nearly all major banners. The initiative could increase digital engagement, convenience and order frequency. How Investors May Respond To Kroger Linking Prescriptions With Instacart-Powered Online Grocery Delivery
• Positive Sentiment: Murray’s Cheese is introducing a premium cave-aged collection at select Harris Teeter stores in the Charlotte area. The launch supports Kroger’s differentiated product offerings, though its direct financial impact is likely modest. Murray’s Cheese Debuts Exclusive Cave Aged Collection at Harris Teeter

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KR shares. UBS Group set a $63.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of KR stock opened at $56.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $34.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.45, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.43. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.50.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 91.76%.

Kroger Company Profile

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.