Kroger (NYSE:KR) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Erste Group Bank

Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Evercore set a $77.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, December 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of KR stock traded up $1.67 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $72.21. 358,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,991,657. The business has a 50 day moving average of $69.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. Kroger has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $45.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.34, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Kroger by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,807,000 after purchasing an additional 16,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at $201,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 40.1% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 44,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,227,000 after purchasing an additional 12,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Kroger by 12.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 80,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,744,000 after purchasing an additional 8,830 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.