Telsey Advisory Group Reaffirms “Outperform” Rating for Kroger (NYSE:KR)

Kroger (NYSE:KR)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by equities research analysts at Telsey Advisory Group in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 14.02% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on KR. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

Kroger Stock Up 3.9%

KR traded up $2.67 during trading on Monday, reaching $70.17. 11,304,898 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,994,799. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $63.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.16. Kroger has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The stock has a market cap of $44.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,821,546,000 after buying an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd 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. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,153,622,000 after purchasing an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $518,267,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 15.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,327,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $426,515,000 after purchasing an additional 865,559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New CEO named — Kroger appointed Greg Foran (ex?Walmart, also led Air New Zealand operations) and added him to the board; the leadership change is being priced as a potential operational turnaround and growth catalyst. PR Newswire: Kroger Appoints Greg Foran as CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Positive market reaction — premarket and intraday coverage shows a sizable jump in KR shares as traders reacted to the hire, signaling confidence in Foran’s ability to execute on scale and e?commerce initiatives. Schaeffers Research: Kroger Stock Surges
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst/commentary notes — recent pieces highlight Kroger’s resilient model, $14B e?commerce run?rate and guidance for mid?single?digit EPS growth, reinforcing a buy/defensive-growth narrative that the new CEO could amplify. Seeking Alpha: Buy This Steady Compounder
• Neutral Sentiment: Company fundamentals & guidance — Kroger recently beat on EPS but narrowly missed revenue and has set FY guidance (FY2025 EPS 4.75–4.80); the board’s move keeps guidance intact but execution remains the next test. MSN: Kroger affirms full-year guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Governance and transition risk — Foran takes over after a contentious leadership period (Rodney McMullen’s exit and an extended interim CEO), which raises near?term governance scrutiny and integration/culture risks. AP: Kroger names former Walmart executive as CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation & operating headwinds — KR trades at a rich P/E and carries elevated leverage; grocers still face pressure from cash?strapped consumers and price competition, so the market is betting on Foran delivering measurable margin/volume gains to justify the premium.

Kroger Company 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.