Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Cuts Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 533,037 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,676 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Kroger were worth $35,932,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. WESPAC Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Kroger by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Evercore set a $77.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.07.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board taps Greg Foran (ex‑Walmart US, former Air New Zealand CEO) to lead Kroger; his track record on store operations and execution is being credited with restoring investor confidence. Fortune profile of Greg Foran
• Positive Sentiment: Shares have rallied on the CEO news and analysts have reaffirmed bullish views (Guggenheim reasserted a buy rating with a $78 target; Telsey reiterated Outperform), supporting further upside if execution follows. Benzinga note on analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative now favors operational fixes over acquisitions: Kroger’s write‑downs on automated fulfillment centers have “cleared the decks,” and management is shifting to a hybrid, store‑based fulfillment model that Street analysts estimate could add roughly $400M of e‑commerce profitability in 2026. Seeking Alpha: time for re‑rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger remains shareholder‑friendly: recent accelerated buybacks and an upcoming ex‑dividend date keep income investors engaged, but these are supportive rather than transformational. (Company filings/coverage)
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close two Houston‑area stores in April as part of “long‑term health” moves — a short‑term negative for sales in those markets but consistent with a cost/portfolio optimization play. Yahoo: Houston store closures
• Negative Sentiment: Local resistance to some new store proposals (e.g., walkability concerns west of Kalamazoo) may slow expansion projects and complicate site selection. MSN: Kalamazoo walkability concerns

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $68.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $74.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.13. The firm has a market cap of $43.49 billion, a PE ratio of 63.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The business had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 129.63%.

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.