Longbow Finance SA Takes $7.12 Million Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Longbow Finance SA purchased a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 105,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,115,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Kroger by 10,425.0% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.07.

Kroger Trading Up 2.2%

Kroger stock opened at $70.15 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $58.60 and a one year high of $74.90. The stock has a market cap of $44.39 billion, a PE ratio of 64.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.62. 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 50-day moving average of $63.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.16.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced 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. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. Kroger’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 129.63%.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Greg Foran named new CEO — a well?known retail operator with a track record of turning around large store fleets; markets view his hire as a shift from M&A toward operational execution, which has lifted confidence in Kroger’s standalone outlook. Meet the serial CEO taking over Kroger
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors are upbeat — Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an Outperform and some firms raised price targets, citing Foran’s credibility and potential margin improvement from a shift to a hybrid e?commerce model and better store execution. Telsey Advisory Group Reiterates Outperform Rating for Kroger
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate actions supporting shareholder returns — recent buyback activity and an upcoming ex?dividend date reinforce cash-return commitment, an important tailwind for income investors. MarketBeat KR overview
• Neutral Sentiment: Planned store closures in Houston — Kroger will close two more Houston?area stores (following prior 2025 closures); management frames this as a long?term health/realignment move but it removes local sales footprint and may pressure near?term comps in those markets. Kroger to close 2 more Houston-area locations
• Neutral Sentiment: Store reopening after temporary closure — an isolated reopening (Worthington Mall) signals localized operational normalization rather than a material companywide shift. Kroger at Worthington Mall reopens
• Negative Sentiment: Product recall update — Kroger has issued recalls affecting multiple items across the U.S.; while typically manageable, recalls can dent near?term margins, increase shrink/operational costs and weigh on foot traffic if issues persist. Kroger Recall Update for Multiple Items Across US

About Kroger

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.