The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 305,399 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,473 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $16,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,016,956,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,113,000 after buying an additional 1,360,946 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after purchasing an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $470,561,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced its 2026 Wellness Tour, with September in-store and community events intended to increase customer engagement and reinforce the company’s health-and-wellness offerings. The initiative is strategically positive, though its near-term financial impact is likely limited. Kroger Wellness Tour announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity, with purchases more than double the typical daily volume, suggests increased bullish speculative interest. However, options activity does not guarantee sustained buying in the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Murray’s Cheese, a Kroger brand, expanded its premium cave-aged collection to select Harris Teeter stores in Charlotte. The launch supports product differentiation and potentially higher-margin sales but is unlikely to materially affect companywide results. Murray’s Cheese Harris Teeter launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s recent earnings showed revenue growth and earnings ahead of the prior-year period, but earnings per share narrowly missed estimates. Management’s fiscal-year EPS guidance remains a key factor for investors assessing whether the current valuation is justified.
• Negative Sentiment: Industry data indicated Kroger’s foot traffic declined in July as the broader supermarket sector also struggled. Persistent traffic weakness could pressure comparable sales and raise concerns about consumer demand. Kroger July foot traffic report
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to pay $17 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging prescription-drug pricing practices. The cash cost is manageable relative to Kroger’s size, but the settlement adds legal expense and reputational risk. Kroger prescription pricing settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Sony Music sued Kroger over alleged unauthorized use of songs in social-media advertising, creating another potential legal liability. The financial impact is uncertain, but the lawsuit adds to investor concerns following the pharmacy settlement. Sony Music lawsuit against Kroger

Kroger Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $57.73 on Monday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $57.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.41. The company has a market capitalization of $35.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 91.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

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.