The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 19.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,830 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,725 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,033,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Cairn Investment Group Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,225,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 19,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.9% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $59.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $37.66 billion, a PE ratio of 55.11, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $63.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.26. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.12 and a twelve month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Evercore ISI set a $77.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.19.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger completed the sale of Vitacost to iHerb to streamline operations, preserve its 2025 guidance, and refocus on core grocery and margin improvement — management portrays the deal as part of a strategic review to simplify the business. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: iHerb says the Vitacost acquisition strengthens its U.S. business in vitamins/minerals/supplements — the buyer’s strategic rationale increases the likelihood of a smooth transition and reduces execution risk for Kroger. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and options traders showed bullish signals: Deutsche Bank upgraded KR from Hold to Buy with a $75 target, and there was unusually high call‑option volume — both indicate upside conviction among some institutional and derivatives traders. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer‑facing initiatives continue: Kroger launched a “Verified Savings” program and targeted discounts for SNAP/WIC/Medicaid shoppers and debuted checkout features highlighting customer savings — moves that may help traffic, loyalty and comps in a tight consumer spending environment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Store-level experiments: a proposed State Street remodel includes an in‑store Dunkin’ — incremental non‑grocery partnerships can boost traffic but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: outlets rank grocery chains (where Kroger appears) and competitor valuation stories (e.g., Albertsons) are circulating — useful for relative valuation but not an immediate company catalyst. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger will close about 60 stores as part of a post‑merger refocus on stronger markets — the planned closures signal ongoing restructuring and cost but raise near‑term execution and severance costs and reduce store count. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/PR hit: a Kroger store in Orion Township remained closed after inspectors found rodent evidence — localized food‑safety incidents can pressure traffic and require remediation spend and invite short‑term negative headlines. Read More.

Kroger Company Profile

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.