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 research note published on Monday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on KR. 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price objective (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group set a $66.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.35.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $69.49 on Monday. Kroger has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.81. The firm has a market cap of $41.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share 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 company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Kroger will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 84.78%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total transaction of $4,425,090.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,016,956,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $195,234,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $157,533,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $119,723,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Recent Kroger Headlines

Investors following KR have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: A long-term investing article highlights Kroger’s relatively quick dividend growth and illustrates how recurring annual investments could build dividend income over time. The example is a projection, not a guaranteed return. If You Invest $1,200 a year in Kroger Stock, Here’s the Dividend Income It Could Generate Over 20 Years
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks labeled Kroger a top-ranked value and long-term growth stock based on its Style Scores. These screen-based assessments may interest investors but do not establish a near-term business catalyst. Why Kroger (KR) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Negative Sentiment: Five Below, Dollar General and Ollie’s are identified as competitors creating challenges for traditional grocers, potentially adding pressure to Kroger’s customer traffic and pricing. Five Below and Dollar General challenge Kroger, Publix

About Kroger

The Kroger Co. is a U.S. grocery retailer founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883 by Bernard Kroger. It operates supermarkets and other grocery formats across the United States under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, and Smith’s. Alongside groceries and household essentials, Kroger stores offer services such as pharmacies and fuel centers. The company also sells products under its own private-label brands and produces many of those items through its food manufacturing operations.