CPC Advisors LLC Invests $5.59 Million in The Kroger Co. $KR

CPC Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 82,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,585,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in Kroger by 102.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 168,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,079,000 after acquiring an additional 85,223 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth $2,901,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in Kroger by 2,313.4% in the second quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 138,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,964,000 after purchasing an additional 133,159 shares in the last quarter. Advocate Group LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 16.6% during the second quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 121,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,707,000 after purchasing an additional 17,284 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $480,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced an expanded generative AI partnership with Google Cloud to deploy Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, aiming to accelerate personalization, digital sales and agent-led customer service — a move investors see as improving digital growth and margin leverage. Kroger Scales Generative AI Strategy with Google Cloud to Drive Digital Growth and Personalization
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is rolling out an AI shopping and meal-planning assistant nationwide, using Gemini to personalize lists, offers and meals — this could raise basket sizes, improve loyalty and lift digital conversion. Kroger (KR) Rolls Out AI Shopping Assistant Nationwide With Google Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: New customer-facing programs — including a 20% off fresh produce promotion — should help drive store traffic and market share in staples where Kroger competes on price and loyalty. Kroger launches new program offering 20% off fresh produce
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger completed its 2025 remodel program with a ribbon cutting in Indiana — freshened stores can boost sales per square foot and improve customer experience. Kroger Wraps Up 2025 Remodels With Indiana Ribbon Cutting
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger sold Vitacost to sharpen focus on its core grocery business — proceeds and simplification may be strategically positive, but the transaction is largely a portfolio cleanup rather than an immediate growth driver. Kroger sells Vitacost as it sharpens focus on core grocery business
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger and partners (e.g., Papa Johns) are testing Gemini AI agents for broader retail use — early-stage pilots signal potential long-term upside but are not yet proven at scale. Kroger, Papa Johns Test Gemini AI Agents for Retail
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term risks: recent quarterly revenue slightly missed analyst estimates even though EPS beat, and Kroger carries elevated leverage — factors that could cap upside if AI investments take time to translate into measurable sales or margin improvement.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on KR. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Barclays set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Argus set a $85.00 price target on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.19.

Kroger Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of KR opened at $61.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.58, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.61. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.12 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $63.83 and a 200-day moving average of $67.19.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The firm had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.