The Kroger Co. $KR Stock: Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Grows Stake

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 288,105 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 46,552 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $16,889,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 17.0% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,129,000 after acquiring an additional 876,168 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Kroger by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,942,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,912,000 after acquiring an additional 610,039 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group set a $66.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. The trade was a 29.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $68.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $40.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.15 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.78.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks identified Kroger as a top-ranked value stock, which may attract investors seeking reasonably valued shares; the article does not provide a new earnings or business catalyst. Kroger is a Top-Ranked Value Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen raised its rating on Kroger to Buy, adding another favorable analyst signal, though the article details were limited. Kroger Stock Rating Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is promoting Thanksgiving meal shortcuts and distinctive food options. Seasonal merchandising could support holiday shopping, but no sales or profit impact was reported. Kroger offers shortcuts and curveballs for Thanksgiving tables
• Neutral Sentiment: A 10% Veterans Day discount for veterans and military families is a customer promotion; its financial effect is unclear. Kroger offers 10% Veterans Day discount
• Negative Sentiment: A report highlighted Kroger’s persistent price premium versus Walmart, citing a Consumer Reports estimate of 14.8%. That gap could make it harder to compete for price-sensitive shoppers and may pressure market share. Kroger and Albertsons’ CEOs Just Signaled the Walmart Price Gap Is Here to Stay

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.