Royal Fund Management LLC Acquires 23,400 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Royal Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 86.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 50,500 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,400 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after buying an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360,946 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Kroger by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after acquiring an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $470,561,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays set a $61.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger launched an AI Shopping Assistant that creates meal plans and digital shopping carts based on customers’ budgets, dietary needs, recipes, shopping lists and online links. The back-to-school timing could support engagement, digital sales and customer retention. Kroger Helps Families Simplify Back-to-Routine Season with Fresh, Convenient Meals and a Smarter Way to Shop
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger and Instacart reportedly generated higher retail-media returns on investment than Amazon. Stronger advertising economics could help Kroger monetize shopper data and loyalty activity while supporting margins.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s recognition for award-winning Murray’s cheeses may reinforce its premium-food positioning and differentiate its stores, although the direct financial impact is likely limited. Kroger wins big with these award-winning Murray’s cheeses
• Neutral Sentiment: The AI launch is strategically promising, but investors will need evidence that adoption increases basket size, shopping frequency or digital profitability rather than merely adding technology costs. Kroger Helps Families Simplify Back-to-Routine Season with Fresh, Convenient Meals and a Smarter Way to Shop
• Negative Sentiment: Numerator data indicated that Kroger and Albertsons lost grocery-market share over the past year, while Costco, Amazon and Walmart gained share. This points to persistent competitive pressure on traffic, pricing power and margins. Kroger and Albertsons continue to see their market share contract
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger reportedly delayed its cage-free egg target after previously promising to reach it by 2025. The reversal could create reputational risk with customers and sustainability-focused investors, while potentially signaling higher implementation costs or supply constraints. Kroger promised cage-free eggs by 2025. It quietly pushed back the goal

Kroger Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of KR opened at $59.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $36.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.39.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.Kroger’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.35%.

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.