The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Acquired by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2,575.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 170,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 163,645 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,965,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 target price (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.35.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger plans to invest approximately $5 billion through 2029 to lower everyday prices and simplify promotions. Management also expects e-commerce to eventually represent about 30% of sales, potentially strengthening customer traffic and digital growth. Kroger Says It Will Spend $5 Billion Through 2029 Lowering Prices
• Positive Sentiment: The company is accelerating direct sourcing to improve cost visibility and control, which could support margins over time despite the near-term expense of lower prices. Kroger Accelerates Direct Sourcing Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicates increased bullish speculative interest: 36,862 calls traded, compared with typical volume of about 15,056. This is a sentiment indicator rather than a change to Kroger’s fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger agreed to acquire Giant Eagle in a proposed $1.65 billion cash-and-stock transaction. Combining loyalty programs, pharmacy records and digital platforms could create data and operating synergies, but privacy concerns surrounding purchasing, behavioral and location data may increase regulatory and reputational risk. Kroger Just Put $1.65 Billion Behind a Data Privacy Test
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger and Albertsons are concluding witness testimony in Delaware litigation over their failed merger. The case could result in additional costs or damages and keeps scrutiny on Kroger’s prior consolidation strategy. Albertsons and Kroger Fighting in Court Over Failed Merger
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons is promoting a lower-cost annual membership program, potentially intensifying competition for value-conscious grocery shoppers alongside Walmart and Amazon. Albertsons Has a New Advantage for Grocery Shoppers

Kroger Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $66.73 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The firm has a market cap of $39.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.27, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. The business had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.