Employees Retirement System of Texas Sells 23,856 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Employees Retirement System of Texas lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 42,442 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,856 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Kroger were worth $2,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Kroger by 66.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in Kroger by 299.6% during 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 51.0% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,658,000 after buying an additional 1,010,457 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is moving ahead with a plan to cut prices on thousands of items, which could help protect traffic and market share as it competes more aggressively with Walmart and Costco. Kroger plans to cut prices on thousands of items to boost competitiveness, Bloomberg report says
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary suggesting grocery prices may rise further could support revenue, since higher shelf prices can lift sales dollars even if unit volume growth is mixed. Americans Are About to Pay Even More at the Grocery Store
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger announced the retirement of Executive Vice President and Chief Associate Experience Officer Tim Massa, adding to a recent string of senior departures under new CEO Greg Foran; investors may see this as leadership turnover during a strategic transition. Kroger announces retirement of Tim Massa, Executive Vice President and Chief Associate Experience Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Kroger’s broader investment case still leans on its push to become a more competitive value grocer, but that strategy may take time to show up in earnings. We Want to Be America’s Best Grocer: Kroger’s Aggressive Plan to Beat Walmart and Costco
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell sharply in the prior session as investors worried about a tougher margin backdrop from higher grocery price competition and a weak read-through from Walmart’s profit outlook. Kroger (KR) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger also faced a product recall involving croutons in 17 states over possible salmonella contamination, which could weigh on sentiment around food safety and execution. Kroger croutons recalled in 17 states over possible salmonella contamination

Kroger Stock Up 0.4%

KR opened at $64.81 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.99 and a 200-day moving average of $66.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.87.

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.