Picton Mahoney Asset Management Has $1.07 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 79,010.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,822 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,802 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd 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 period. WPG Advisers LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 16.8% in the third quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.9% during the second 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 during the period. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat on profitability metrics: Kroger reported adjusted EPS that topped consensus, with gross-margin improvement and eCommerce sales up ~20%, which supported the stock’s strength. Kroger Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results and Announces Guidance for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat capital return & FY26 profitability guide: management set FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance ($5.10–$5.30) above consensus and the board approved an additional $2B buyback (on top of prior ASR activity), boosting shareholder-return expectations. Kroger Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results and Announces Guidance for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Telsey Advisory raised its price target to $82 and kept an “Outperform” rating, giving another near-term catalyst for buyers. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic pivot under new CEO: Greg Foran emphasized sharper pricing, AI and eCommerce acceleration and an eCommerce strategic review expected to materially improve operating profit — a growth narrative investors liked. Kroger’s New CEO Bets on Deals, AI and eCommerce to Boost Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed market take: coverage notes strong margin/earnings execution but also a cautious tone in guidance and institutional selling — a balanced view that can limit upside until execution proves out. Why Kroger Stock Could Keep Climbing Even After Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slight miss: top-line came in a touch below consensus (fuel-adjusted comps modestly positive), so growth remains tepid even as margins expand — explains mixed headlines. Kroger extended its streak of sales misses — but that’s not hurting its profits
• Negative Sentiment: Labor & legal risk: Kroger faces class-action suits over e-commerce role classification and union friction (Teamsters statements), which are ongoing operational/legal risks that investors monitor. Kroger hit with 2 lawsuits over e-commerce role classification
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headline items: reports of store closures/layoffs and product recalls add episodic risk and reputational noise that can pressure sentiment. 143-year-old grocery chain closes more locations, lays off dozens

Kroger Trading Up 5.3%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $71.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.89. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 129.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Thursday. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.19.

About Kroger

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.