13,353 The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 444,034 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,353 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Kroger were worth $26,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth $3,016,956,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at $195,234,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at $157,533,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $119,723,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price objective (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $66.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.35.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $68.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $62.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.78. The stock has a market cap of $40.50 billion, a PE ratio of 37.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 84.78%.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks identified Kroger as a top-ranked value stock, which may attract investors seeking reasonably valued shares; the article does not provide a new earnings or business catalyst. Kroger is a Top-Ranked Value Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen raised its rating on Kroger to Buy, adding another favorable analyst signal, though the article details were limited. Kroger Stock Rating Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is promoting Thanksgiving meal shortcuts and distinctive food options. Seasonal merchandising could support holiday shopping, but no sales or profit impact was reported. Kroger offers shortcuts and curveballs for Thanksgiving tables
• Neutral Sentiment: A 10% Veterans Day discount for veterans and military families is a customer promotion; its financial effect is unclear. Kroger offers 10% Veterans Day discount
• Negative Sentiment: A report highlighted Kroger’s persistent price premium versus Walmart, citing a Consumer Reports estimate of 14.8%. That gap could make it harder to compete for price-sensitive shoppers and may pressure market share. Kroger and Albertsons’ CEOs Just Signaled the Walmart Price Gap Is Here to Stay

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co. is a U.S. grocery retailer founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883 by Bernard Kroger. It operates supermarkets and other grocery formats across the United States under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, and Smith’s. Alongside groceries and household essentials, Kroger stores offer services such as pharmacies and fuel centers. The company also sells products under its own private-label brands and produces many of those items through its food manufacturing operations.