Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 63,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,310,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 67.5% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 378,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,481,000 after purchasing an additional 152,338 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 13.5% during the third quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 14,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $965,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 79.7% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 89,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,062,000 after buying an additional 39,888 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.8% during the third quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,252 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,096,000 after buying an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Kroger by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 265,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,877,000 after acquiring an additional 43,902 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.93.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger hired a former Walmart U.S. executive as its new CEO, which investors may view as a governance/operational positive given his scale and grocery experience. The Supply Side: Former Walmart U.S. boss hired as Kroger CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger rolled out savings programs for GLP?1 medications at its pharmacies — a potential traffic and margin opportunity in health/pharmacy services. Kroger Offers Savings Programs For GLP-1 Medications
• Positive Sentiment: MPearlRock (a Kroger/84.51° partner) added three operating advisors to boost value creation for portfolio brands — could support future non?store growth and margins. MPearlRock Announces Addition of Three Distinguished Operating Advisors
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat but revenue miss; FY?2025 guidance was reiterated at $4.75–$4.80 EPS — investors will watch execution against that outlook. Kroger company info and recent results
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado told investors it remains confident about U.S. prospects even after Kroger closed some robotic distribution centers last year — signals industry recalibration but not a direct hit to Kroger’s core retail earnings. Ocado upbeat on US prospects despite Kroger setback
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger from Overweight to Equal Weight and cut its price target to $68, citing caution on spending and growth — a direct catalyst for near?term selling pressure. Wells Fargo Downgrades Kroger to Equal Weight
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger continues to close stores under brands like Fred Meyer and QFC, which can weigh on sales and amplify concerns about footprint optimization and restructuring costs. Fred Meyer, QFC parent company Kroger continues store closures

Kroger Stock Down 0.7%

Kroger stock opened at $67.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $64.48 and its 200-day moving average is $65.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.49 billion, a PE ratio of 62.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The business 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%. Kroger’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. 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 2.1%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 129.63%.

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.