The Kroger Co. $KR Position Increased by Weiss Asset Management LP

Weiss Asset Management LP boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 571.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 148,595 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 126,456 shares during the quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP’s holdings in Kroger were worth $10,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 268.1% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger Health launched its new GLP-1 Complete Support Program, with dietitians providing guidance for patients using weight-management medications. This could strengthen Kroger’s health-services offering and create a new customer-engagement opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A back-to-school hiring event is seeking to fill hundreds of store jobs across four states, signaling Kroger is still investing in store operations and labor coverage heading into a busy retail period. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s ongoing automation and robotics efforts in Columbus-area stores may support efficiency and long-term margin improvement. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KR. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, UBS Group set a $63.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $56.81 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $34.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.39. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $54.15 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The company had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Kroger’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 82.35%.

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.