Retirement Systems of Alabama Cuts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,447 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30,222 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Kroger were worth $18,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $518,267,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth approximately $120,965,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 80.7% during the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,185,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,768,000 after acquiring an additional 976,100 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is investing in growth — a roughly $28.5 million project for its first new Michigan store in nearly a decade signals strategic expansion and long?term capacity to drive sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some Kroger locations in Greater Cincinnati have reopened after the historic snow event, restoring customer access and sales flow in that market. Reopenings should limit the duration of revenue disruption. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger plans to close its Groveland distribution center in early 2026. Impact is mixed — potential cost savings or network optimization versus one?time closure costs and operational disruption during transition. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional hour adjustments (Houston, North Texas and other markets) reflect cautious operations during severe weather; these preserve safety and can limit losses but also compress same?store sales for the affected days. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Widespread early closures across the Columbus division (115 stores) and multiple markets (Cincinnati, central Ohio and others) during the winter storm are lowering traffic and same?store sales for the period and may raise labor and logistics costs. This storm-driven disruption is the primary near?term headwind pressuring the stock. Article Title

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $63.75 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.34 billion, a PE ratio of 59.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $63.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.66. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price objective (down from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.80.

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.