Kroger (NYSE:KR) Coverage Initiated at Erste Group Bank

Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.56.

Kroger Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $1.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $72.21. The company had a trading volume of 358,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,991,657. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80. Kroger has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $69.30 and its 200-day moving average is $66.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in Kroger by 102.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 168,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,079,000 after buying an additional 85,223 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 43.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 72,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,870,000 after acquiring an additional 21,876 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 85.0% in the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 857,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,828,000 after acquiring an additional 394,060 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 45.5% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 855,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,690,000 after purchasing an additional 267,434 shares during the period. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its position in shares of Kroger by 401.3% during the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 19,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,293,000 after purchasing an additional 15,586 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.