Junto Capital Management LP Takes Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 705,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,531,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $518,267,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 15.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,327,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $426,515,000 after purchasing an additional 865,559 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Kroger by 66.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,245,000 after buying an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Kroger by 4.7% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,193,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,064,000 after buying an additional 233,466 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $75.65 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The company has a market cap of $47.87 billion, a PE ratio of 49.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.99.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger expanded access to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound® KwikPen at participating Kroger pharmacies, which can drive pharmacy revenue, strengthen Kroger’s healthcare positioning and attract higher-margin prescription sales (and the company will honor manufacturer savings programs for eligible patients). Kroger Brings Zepbound® KwikPen to Retail Pharmacy
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage noting the pharmacy rollout and investor reaction contributed to shares edging up; the Benzinga note flags near-term investor interest tied to the Zepbound availability. Kroger Shares Rise As Pharmacies Add Eli Lilly’s Zepbound KwikPen
• Positive Sentiment: KR’s technical/momentum profile improved after a Relative Strength rating lift to 82, which can attract momentum and technical-focused buyers. Kroger Stock Gets Relative Strength Rating Lift To 82
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash flow (ex-dividend in May; paid June 1). Dividend growth history may underpin valuation support. Kroger’s Board of Directors Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and post-earnings positioning continued to lift sentiment—notes point to EPS beats, FY2026 guidance and several price-target increases that have helped push shares higher after the March 5 results. Kroger shares rise 3.9% as post-earnings optimism and price-target hikes build
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger hit an all-time intraday high recently, reflecting momentum; while bullish, this can also invite short-term profit-taking. Kroger stock reaches all-time high at 74.92 USD
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close about 50 Little Clinics — a cost-cutting/reshaping move that may reduce near-term healthcare footprint and could signal lower near-term revenue from those locations. Investors may view this as a strategic tradeoff. Kroger plans to shutter 50 Little Clinics
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risks from the Iran war (Strait of Hormuz disruptions) could push up supply-chain costs and retail prices, pressuring margins for grocers including Kroger if input costs rise or supply chains tighten. This is an industry-level headwind with uncertain timing. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Seeking Alpha piece argued Kroger may be fairly valued after a rally and flagged a downgrade — a reminder some analysts see less upside after the run-up, which can cap near-term gains. Kroger: Strong E-commerce Growth, But Fairly Valued After Rally (Downgrade)

About Kroger

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.