The Kroger Co. (KR) – What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.35.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KR. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Evercore set a $70.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Melius Research set a $80.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th.

Kroger Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of KR opened at $68.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Kroger has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.78. The firm has a market cap of $40.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Kroger will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 84.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Kroger by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after acquiring an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Kroger by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,129,000 after acquiring an additional 876,168 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi boosted 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 purchasing an additional 610,039 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks identified Kroger as a top-ranked value stock, which may attract investors seeking reasonably valued shares; the article does not provide a new earnings or business catalyst. Kroger is a Top-Ranked Value Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen raised its rating on Kroger to Buy, adding another favorable analyst signal, though the article details were limited. Kroger Stock Rating Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is promoting Thanksgiving meal shortcuts and distinctive food options. Seasonal merchandising could support holiday shopping, but no sales or profit impact was reported. Kroger offers shortcuts and curveballs for Thanksgiving tables
• Neutral Sentiment: A 10% Veterans Day discount for veterans and military families is a customer promotion; its financial effect is unclear. Kroger offers 10% Veterans Day discount
• Negative Sentiment: A report highlighted Kroger’s persistent price premium versus Walmart, citing a Consumer Reports estimate of 14.8%. That gap could make it harder to compete for price-sensitive shoppers and may pressure market share. Kroger and Albertsons’ CEOs Just Signaled the Walmart Price Gap Is Here to Stay

About Kroger

The Kroger Co. is a U.S. grocery retailer founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883 by Bernard Kroger. It operates supermarkets and other grocery formats across the United States under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, and Smith’s. Alongside groceries and household essentials, Kroger stores offer services such as pharmacies and fuel centers. The company also sells products under its own private-label brands and produces many of those items through its food manufacturing operations.