9,209 The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,071 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,209 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,144,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,764,000. Amundi raised its stake in Kroger by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,942,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,912,000 after acquiring an additional 610,039 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $76,633,000. Milestone Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $10,924,000. Finally, Quantitative Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,527,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger promoted Thanksgiving meal bundles and ready-to-eat options, along with AI tools for planning meals and building shopping carts. The effort could support holiday grocery sales and reinforce convenience, though no expected financial impact was disclosed. Article: Kroger Makes Thanksgiving Easy This Year with Ultimate Convenience and Seamless Shopping
• Positive Sentiment: Local reports highlighted a new Kroger Marketplace in Owensboro and a $14 million store in Texas. New locations can add capacity and reach, although the reports do not indicate a material companywide growth effect. Article: New Kroger Marketplace Opens Thursday on Fairview Drive Article: Kroger Revs Up Texas Grocery Race with New $14M Store
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger scheduled its third-quarter 2026 earnings conference call for December 3. This sets the date for investors to hear results and management commentary; the announcement itself contains no financial update. Article: Kroger Announces Third Quarter Conference Call with Investors
• Negative Sentiment: A report says the $8 billion Albertsons-Kroger dispute is far from resolved. Continued legal or financial uncertainty could remain an overhang, although the provided article details do not specify the latest developments or likely outcome. Article: The $8B Albertsons-Kroger Fight Is Far From Over

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 target price (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Melius Research set a $80.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.35.

Kroger Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $69.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $41.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 84.78%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Harris Teeter and Smith’s, among others.

Kroger’s business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.