The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management lessened its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,889,273 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113,102 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for approximately 1.0% of LSV Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. LSV Asset Management owned 1.04% of Kroger worth $464,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 10,425.0% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 87.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. 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: Appointment of Greg Foran as CEO — Foran (ex?Walmart U.S., Air New Zealand) is viewed as an operator who can improve store execution and margins; markets reacted positively to the hire. Kroger names Greg Foran as CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market backing — Firms and analysts have reacted favorably (buy ratings, reiterated outperform calls and raised targets), reinforcing the rally and investor confidence in re-rating potential. Telsey Advisory Group Reiterates Outperform Rating for Kroger
• Positive Sentiment: Operational pivot and cost saves highlighted by coverage — Coverage notes Kroger is shifting from failed large-scale automation to a store-based/hybrid fulfillment model expected to materially improve e?commerce profitability (cited ~$400M improvement in 2026 scenarios). New Kroger CEO expected to stress the fundamentals
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns remain a focus — Recent buybacks and the company’s dividend profile (ex?dividend timing is a near-term calendar item) support income-oriented investors. Does a New CEO Make This Time-Tested Dividend Stock a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR and promotions — Routine consumer promotions (e.g., Valentine’s Day surf-and-turf offers) and a reopened store at Worthington Mall are operationally neutral but help traffic. Skip the Reservation: Kroger Makes Valentine’s Day Special
• Negative Sentiment: Store rationalization — Kroger plans to close two Houston?area stores in April (after several closures in 2025), a sign of continued footprint pruning that can reduce revenue and indicate underperforming markets. Kroger to close 2 more Houston-area locations after shuttering 5 stores in 2025
• Negative Sentiment: Legacy charges and execution risk — The company still carries the impact of past non?cash impairments tied to automated fulfillment centers; investors must see consistent margin improvement to justify multiple expansion. Meet the serial CEO taking over Kroger

Kroger Trading Up 1.0%

KR stock opened at $68.72 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.60 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.13. The firm has a market cap of $43.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.63, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 129.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on KR. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.07.

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.