The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 67.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 378,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 152,338 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Kroger worth $25,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WESPAC Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC increased its position in Kroger by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Kroger by 4.9% in the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its holdings in Kroger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Greg Foran (former Walmart exec) is expected to push cost-cutting, operational streamlining and margin improvement, which investors often view favorably for grocers facing margin pressure. This leadership change likely drove some of the stock’s intraday activity. Former Walmart exec reveals what Kroger can expect from its first outside CEO Kroger’s New CEO Brings Walmart Experience To Cost Focus And Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger expanded pharmacy/wellness offerings — including GLP-1 savings programs and free virtual dietitian consults — which can support pharmacy revenue and customer loyalty over time. These initiatives are strategically relevant given healthcare tailwinds in retail. Savings Programs that offer Affordable Access to GLP-1s Available at Kroger
• Neutral Sentiment: Local real estate and store activity: Kroger is breaking ground on new stores (McKinney, Perry) and opening remodeled locations; these are execution items that matter regionally but have limited immediate impact on the company-wide stock move. Kroger starts construction on new McKinney store and reveals opening date
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer perception: Kroger was cited among top grocery stores in a recent survey — a branding/retention positive but not an immediate earnings driver. Kroger among best grocery stores in the US, survey reveals
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger from overweight to equal-weight and trimmed its price target to $68, reducing near-term analyst support and likely contributing to selling pressure. Benzinga coverage of downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Operational noise — reports of store closures and local exits in some markets (e.g., references to 60-store closures and vacancy in a commerce park) create short-term uncertainty about footprint optimization and costs. Kroger has begun to close 60 stores after failed merger Lake County seeking new tenants for commerce park after Kroger exit

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $67.57 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $42.76 billion, a PE ratio of 62.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.97. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 129.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.93.

Kroger 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.