The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Acquired by Quadrant Capital Group LLC

Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 103.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,750 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,742 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Kroger by 0.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after buying an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings 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 worth $437,129,000 after buying an additional 876,168 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Kroger by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,942,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,912,000 after buying an additional 610,039 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total transaction of $4,425,090.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $66.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Twelve investment 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 an average target price of $70.35.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $64.16 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $54.15 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.43. The company has a market cap of $37.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $34.62 billion for 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. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger plans to invest approximately $5 billion by 2029 to lower prices, strengthen its value proposition and win market share. Management is targeting roughly 3% annual comparable sales growth, 3%-6% adjusted EBITDA growth and 7%-11% adjusted EPS growth through 2029. Kroger long-term financial targets
• Positive Sentiment: The company intends to open about 110 new stores and refresh existing locations, with updated formats allocating more space to fresh food and e-commerce. The expansion could support revenue growth and improve Kroger’s competitiveness against Walmart, Amazon and other grocers. Kroger store formats and expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Management is simplifying operations and focusing more closely on its core grocery business under CEO Greg Foran. Investors viewed the strategy as a possible way to improve customer traffic and produce earnings growth despite intense industry competition. Kroger grocery strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is reportedly planning to cut thousands of corporate positions as it expands artificial-intelligence tools and streamlines its business. The reductions could lower costs over time, but restructuring expenses and potential execution or employee-relations issues may weigh on near-term results. Kroger job cuts and AI plans
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons is seeking approximately $8 billion from Kroger in litigation over their failed merger. Testimony has focused on whether Kroger offered an inadequate store-divestiture plan, creating a potentially significant financial and legal overhang. Albertsons lawsuit against Kroger
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s former CEO defended the company’s efforts to complete the Albertsons transaction, while the current management team reiterated its standalone growth strategy. The court dispute may remain a source of volatility as the market assesses possible damages and settlement costs. Former Kroger CEO defends Albertsons deal

About Kroger

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.