Huntington National Bank Acquires 10,847 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Huntington National Bank raised its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 76,314 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,847 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointed a new CEO with Walmart U.S. experience — Kroger has hired the former Walmart U.S. boss as CEO, a hire investors may view as strengthening Kroger’s operations, merchandising and scale play. The Supply Side: Former Walmart U.S. boss hired as Kroger CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Pharmacy initiative to offer savings on GLP?1 drugs — Kroger rolled out programs to reduce out?of?pocket costs for GLP?1 medications, which can drive pharmacy traffic and same?store sales if uptake is meaningful. Kroger Offers Savings Programs For GLP-1 Medications
• Positive Sentiment: Strengthening consumer brand play via MPearlRock — Kroger’s affiliate MPearlRock added three operating advisors to bolster value creation for portfolio brands, supporting long?term growth in higher?margin channels. MPearlRock Announces Addition of Three Distinguished Operating Advisors
• Positive Sentiment: Community/PR efforts — Kroger continued community outreach with donations and “Pack the Pantry” events at HBCUs, supporting brand goodwill and customer engagement. Kroger donates $35K to fight food insecurity at HBCUs
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado comments underscore Kroger’s automation pullback but broader market opportunity remains — Ocado says it still sees U.S. prospects even after Kroger closed several robotic DCs, highlighting a mixed signal on Kroger’s tech path. Ocado upbeat on US prospects despite Kroger setback
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger to Equal Weight and cut its price target to $68, citing caution on spending and growth — this analyst move is directly negative for sentiment and could limit near?term upside. Wells Fargo Turns Neutral on Kroger (KR), Flags Spending and Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Continued store closures — reports that Kroger (parent of Fred Meyer/QFC) is closing stores nationwide may signal ongoing restructuring or weak locations, which can weigh on sales growth and investor sentiment. Fred Meyer, QFC parent company Kroger continues store closures nationwide

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $68.13 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The company has a market cap of $43.11 billion, a PE ratio of 63.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.88.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 129.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.93.

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.