The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Newly Bought by Iams Wealth Management LLC

Iams Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 9,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $889,878,000 after acquiring an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,129,000 after purchasing an additional 876,168 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,332,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,116,000 after purchasing an additional 506,776 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s planned elimination of approximately 3,000 corporate positions over three years is intended to reduce expenses, fund lower prices and support investments in AI, pharmacy margins, e-commerce and retail media. Investors could view the restructuring as a potential profitability catalyst if savings are reinvested effectively. Kroger AI efficiency push and corporate job cuts
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger continues to hold a leading position in the Central Ohio grocery market, supporting the investment case that its scale and customer base can defend sales against Aldi and other discount competitors. Kroger Central Ohio grocery market leadership
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts describe KR as undervalued, citing cost reductions and the potential for an operational turnaround. Its latest quarterly results also exceeded EPS expectations, while full-year guidance was maintained. Kroger valuation and turnaround analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s October 20 investor day could provide additional detail on AI savings, pricing strategy, capital allocation and the company’s longer-term turnaround plan.
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons is seeking more than $8 billion in damages related to the failed merger, creating potentially significant legal and financial uncertainty for Kroger. Albertsons lawsuit against Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Other coverage warns that slowing sales and a premium earnings multiple may limit upside, particularly if cost savings do not translate into stronger customer traffic or margins. Kroger slowing sales and valuation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: The scale of the layoffs raises execution and morale risks, while recent institutional selling and insider sales add another cautious signal for investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total transaction of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at $10,636,643.10. This trade represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays set a $61.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price target (down from $71.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.82.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $62.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $37.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $58.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.68. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.15 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 84.78%.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S.-based food and consumer goods retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company has grown into one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States.

Kroger operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, marketplace-format stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. Its stores sell groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery and deli products, household essentials, health and beauty items, and general merchandise. The company also offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs, and a range of private-label products.

The company serves customers across numerous U.S.