Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Sells 17,656 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 51.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,954 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,656 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter worth $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in Kroger by 66.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 299.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $65,450,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Customer Appreciation Week (March 11–17) returns — a major promotional event that can boost traffic, basket sizes and short-term sales. Kroger Brings Back Customer Appreciation Week with Special Savings Kroger Brings Back Customer Appreciation Week (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Roth MKM reiterated a “Buy” rating, signaling continued broker-level confidence. Kroger’s (KR) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Roth Mkm
• Positive Sentiment: New CEO messaging and management optimism — CEO Foran says Kroger “has all the ingredients to win,” which could reassure investors on strategy execution. Kroger has ‘all the ingredients to win,’ new CEO Foran says
• Positive Sentiment: Insider/insider-adjacent buy: Sen. John Boozman purchased Kroger shares — can be read as a small vote of confidence. Sen. John Boozman Purchases Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation: Kroger announced a new line-up of convenience meals — supports same-store sales and private-label growth. Kroger announces new line-up of convenience meals
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $71 but maintained a “neutral” rating — a modest signal (target is still slightly below the current price), so limited positive catalyst. Citigroup raises KR price target to $71 (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger has lagged many retail peers over the past year — underperformance raises concern about market-share momentum and investor sentiment. How Is Kroger’s Stock Performance Compared to Other Retail Stocks?
• Negative Sentiment: Labor/working-conditions scrutiny — coverage asking whether conditions will worsen under the new CEO could heighten union risk and operational disruptions. SN top 10: Will working conditions worsen at Kroger under new CEO?

Kroger Trading Down 1.5%

KR stock opened at $72.30 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $65.76 and its 200 day moving average is $65.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $45.76 billion, a PE ratio of 47.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

About Kroger

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.