The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Holdings Decreased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. reduced its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 38.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,118 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,071 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Kroger by 61.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 95.6% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased 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 acquiring an additional 1,010,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its position in shares of Kroger by 49.4% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,815,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $189,774,000 after acquiring an additional 930,822 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $63.59 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $67.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.63. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 91.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.73.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its new limited-time “All-American Ice Cream Collection” and giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift traffic and reinforce customer engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports noted new or upcoming Kroger Marketplace openings and development progress in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, signaling continued store expansion and local market investment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and local-news pieces highlighted the ice cream giveaway and store openings, but these are largely promotional updates rather than material financial catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a $2.5 million DOJ settlement over alleged Clean Air Act emissions violations, which adds a legal and compliance overhang even if the dollar amount is relatively small. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report suggesting Kroger may lose more executives could raise concerns about management turnover and continuity. Article Title

Kroger Company 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.