The Kroger Co. $KR Stock: Courier Capital LLC Boosts Position

Courier Capital LLC grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 46,190 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 22,406 shares during the quarter. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,708,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,016,956,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $195,234,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $157,533,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $119,723,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR traded down $1.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $60.61. 8,902,345 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,014,305. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $54.15 and a one year high of $76.58. The firm has a market cap of $35.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.94, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.43 and a 200-day moving average of $61.88.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. Kroger’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 84.78%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,636,643.10. This trade represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KR. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 target price (down from $71.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Barclays set a $61.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price target (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Finally, Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.82.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger plans to eliminate approximately 3,000 corporate positions—about 37% of its corporate workforce—over the next three years. CEO Greg Foran said the company has excessive layers, handoffs and overhead, suggesting the restructuring could reduce costs, speed decision-making and redirect resources toward store-level prices and service. The company is also expanding its use of artificial intelligence, although management characterized the changes primarily as an operating overhaul rather than solely an AI-driven job replacement. Kroger to cut 3K corporate jobs over the next 3 years
• Neutral Sentiment: The planned cuts could improve long-term efficiency, but their scale creates execution, employee-morale and service risks. Investors will likely look for evidence that savings translate into better pricing and profitability without weakening store operations. Kroger plans to cut about a third of corporate roles
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its pharmacy vaccination services and continues to benefit from grocery demand, private-label products, pharmacy operations and digital sales. These defensive characteristics may support the business, but the promotional announcement has limited near-term earnings impact. Kroger helps keep families healthy this fall
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons is seeking more than $9 billion in damages over the collapse of Kroger’s approximately $25 billion merger proposal. Albertsons alleges Kroger prioritized its own interests and failed to pursue regulatory approval adequately, including by resisting the divestitures needed to preserve the transaction. A court hearing is scheduled to address responsibility, creating potentially significant litigation costs and uncertainty for Kroger. Albertsons seeks $8B from Kroger over failed merger
• Negative Sentiment: Sen. Elizabeth Warren has asked U.S. antitrust authorities to scrutinize Kroger’s proposed $1.65 billion acquisition of Giant Eagle, arguing that additional grocery consolidation could raise consumer prices. The inquiry increases regulatory uncertainty around Kroger’s growth strategy. Senator raises concerns over Kroger’s plan to buy Giant Eagle

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S.-based food and consumer goods retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company has grown into one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States.

Kroger operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, marketplace-format stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. Its stores sell groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery and deli products, household essentials, health and beauty items, and general merchandise. The company also offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs, and a range of private-label products.

The company serves customers across numerous U.S.