Korea Investment CORP Sells 108,653 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Korea Investment CORP decreased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 15.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 603,279 shares of the company’s stock after selling 108,653 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Kroger were worth $40,667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in Kroger by 66.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Kroger by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,680,219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,843,000 after purchasing an additional 265,127 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Kroger by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,309,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,476,000 after purchasing an additional 41,904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,126,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,028,000 after purchasing an additional 300,784 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger re-launches its large “Customer Appreciation Week” promotion (March 11–17), which should drive traffic and short-term same-store-sales and margin opportunities from exclusive deal drops. Kroger Brings Back Customer Appreciation Week with Special Savings
• Positive Sentiment: CEO-elect Rodney Foran is publicly bullish on Kroger’s prospects (“has all the ingredients to win”), signaling continuity on growth and merchandising execution that investors typically view as supportive for longer-term revenue and margin improvement. Kroger has ‘all the ingredients to win,’ new CEO Foran says
• Positive Sentiment: Market signals show bullish positioning: heavy call-option buying suggests some traders expect upside in the near term. Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Kroger (NYSE:KR)
• Positive Sentiment: Roth MKM reiterated a “Buy” on KR, providing analyst-level support that can counterbalance neutral/negative takes. Kroger’s (KR) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Roth Mkm
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $68 to $71 but kept a “Neutral” rating — a modest upward revision that still sits below Kroger’s current price, signaling limited immediate upside from this update. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Sen. John Boozman purchased Kroger shares — a small, non-company insider signal that may draw attention but is unlikely to move fundamentals. Sen. John Boozman Purchases Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)
• Negative Sentiment: Supermarket News highlights concerns that working conditions could worsen under the new CEO — labor tensions or morale issues raise the risk of higher costs, union friction or operational disruptions. SN top 10: Will working conditions worsen at Kroger under new CEO?
• Negative Sentiment: A report links a popular frozen chicken sold at Kroger (and Trader Joe’s) to possible glass contamination — a product-safety story that can prompt recalls, erode consumer trust and hit near-term sales and costs if confirmed. This popular frozen chicken from Trader Joe’s and Kroger may have glass in it

Kroger Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $73.46 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $65.57 and its 200 day moving average is $65.86. The company has a market cap of $46.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday. 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. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Evercore set a $77.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.56.

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.