West Family Investments Inc. Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

West Family Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 10,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $574,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allstate Corp increased its holdings in Kroger by 108.5% in the 4th quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,998,000 after acquiring an additional 24,976 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 10,178.7% during the 4th quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 507,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,706,000 after purchasing an additional 502,522 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $76,633,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in Kroger by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 894,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,946,000 after buying an additional 209,264 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is expanding and refreshing its retail footprint, including new Marketplace locations in metro Atlanta and a remodeled Worthington, Ohio, store. The investments could improve customer experience, sales productivity and local market competitiveness. Kroger opens new Marketplace locations in metro Atlanta
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: Kroger’s average brokerage recommendation is equivalent to a Buy, while recent analysis describes the shares as reasonably valued after their decline. The appointment of Nate Faust to lead e-commerce could support better digital execution and efficiency over time. Kroger stock looks reasonable as e-commerce leadership changes start
• Positive Sentiment: The nationwide rollout of Fold Bitcoin Gift Cards gives Kroger a new payments and rewards-related offering, although the near-term financial impact is likely limited. Kroger rolls out Fold Bitcoin Gift Card program nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger plans to close 60 U.S. stores in 2026. Management may be using the closures to eliminate underperforming locations and improve profitability, but the scale of the reductions raises concerns about sales, market share and restructuring costs. Kroger closing 60 stores in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Kroger’s customer traffic is declining suggest shoppers may be cutting back or shifting business to competitors. Persistent traffic weakness could pressure identical-store sales and margins. Kroger’s traffic woes reflect the market
• Negative Sentiment: A recall involving jalapeño products sold at Kroger and other retailers creates food-safety and reputational risk, though the incident also affects competitors. Products recalled over jalapeño salmonella outbreak
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to pay $75,000 to settle an EEOC disability-discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. The financial cost is small, but the case adds legal, compliance and reputational pressure. Kroger to pay $75,000 in EEOC lawsuit

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $56.34 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $58.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.81. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The firm has a market cap of $34.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 91.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Kroger 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.