Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $49.05 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 785,057 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,568 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $49,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 61.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 66.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100,444 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 95.6% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 51.0% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010,457 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $65.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.24 billion, a PE ratio of 42.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.46. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $70.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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 revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued 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 is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 91.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Kroger 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.