Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Sells 87,517 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 70.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 36,584 shares of the company’s stock after selling 87,517 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after buying an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $837,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360,946 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Kroger by 0.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $889,878,000 after purchasing an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $470,561,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KR. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $57.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company has a market cap of $35.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.01, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $59.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.33. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.35%.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger could improve its national grocery-market ranking following its planned Giant Eagle acquisition, potentially expanding scale and market share. Kroger poised to rise in national grocery market share rankings
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion remains a longer-term growth catalyst, with a $40 million Little Elm, Texas, store and approval for a new location in Dunwoody, Georgia. Kroger spends $40 million on new Little Elm store
• Positive Sentiment: A grocery-price study ranking Kroger ahead of Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons may support its value-focused positioning and customer retention. Kroger tops Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons in grocery price study
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity has drawn attention and may signal a larger upcoming move in KR, but the available report does not establish whether traders are positioned for a rise or decline. Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in Kroger Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger launched an AI meal-planning assistant, which could improve digital engagement, personalization and loyalty, though financial benefits are still unproven. Kroger Debuts AI Shopping Assistant for Meal Planning
• Negative Sentiment: A settled lawsuit involving a worker’s suicide adds reputational and potential legal-cost concerns, although settlement terms were not disclosed. Kroger settles lawsuit over worker suicide
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures in Michigan will eliminate 68 jobs and could highlight weaker locations or ongoing efforts to optimize the store base. Kroger store closure to affect 68 jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer complaints alleging pricing discrepancies create regulatory and trust risks, particularly for a company competing on value. Consumer group claims Kroger has pricing discrepancies

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.