The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Purchased by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 192.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,525 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,427 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth about $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $889,878,000 after buying an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 17.0% in the first 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 period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 17.9% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 3,332,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,116,000 after buying an additional 506,776 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $64.16 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $37.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $59.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. The trade was a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Melius Research set a $80.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. UBS Group set a $66.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.35.

Kroger Profile

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.