Kroger (NYSE:KR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on KR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on shares of Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.35.

Kroger Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of KR stock opened at $66.79 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. Kroger has a twelve month low of $54.15 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.04 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kroger will post 5.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 84.78%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. The trade was a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SYM FINANCIAL Corp increased its stake in Kroger by 49.8% in the third quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 113.7% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 2,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 11.3% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 53,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,386 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 44.7% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 37,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,180,000 after purchasing an additional 11,498 shares during the period. Finally, National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $668,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Harris Teeter and Smith’s, among others.

Kroger’s business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.