Sanctuary Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 99,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,515,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Automation may improve operations: Kroger is rolling out inventory robots, a move that could increase in-stock availability, reduce labor-intensive inventory work and support margins over time. Kroger rolls out inventory robots
• Positive Sentiment: Grocery and prescription delivery expansion: Kroger and Instacart launched a service allowing customers to order groceries and eligible prescriptions together through Kroger’s websites and apps. The offering is available across nearly all Kroger banners, including Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Harris Teeter, potentially increasing digital engagement, order frequency and customer retention. Kroger Customers Can Shop for Groceries and Prescriptions in a Single Order
• Positive Sentiment: Pharmacy product test: Promino secured a test of its Rejuvenate Muscle Health product in 662 Kroger pharmacies. While the financial impact on Kroger is not disclosed, the program could modestly broaden pharmacy offerings and support related customer traffic. Promino Secures 662-Store Kroger Pharmacy Test

Kroger Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $59.06 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $54.15 and a one year high of $76.58. The company has a market cap of $36.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.74, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $57.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.69.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. UBS Group set a $63.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

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.