The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Keybank National Association OH

Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 47.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,508 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,752 shares during the quarter. Keybank National Association OH’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,016,956,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $195,234,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $157,533,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $119,723,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $70.86. The stock had a trading volume of 4,550,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,784,427. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.15 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $62.78 and its 200 day moving average is $63.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The business had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. The company’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. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price target (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.35.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co. is a U.S. grocery retailer founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883 by Bernard Kroger. It operates supermarkets and other grocery formats across the United States under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, and Smith’s. Alongside groceries and household essentials, Kroger stores offer services such as pharmacies and fuel centers. The company also sells products under its own private-label brands and produces many of those items through its food manufacturing operations.