The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 10.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 101,071 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,209 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings 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 valued at $889,878,000 after acquiring an additional 53,625 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,129,000 after acquiring an additional 876,168 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth about $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Kroger by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,942,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,912,000 after acquiring an additional 610,039 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $69.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $61.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.71. The firm has a market cap of $41.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. The business had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on KR. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 1st. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Evercore set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, UBS Group set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.35.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger promoted Thanksgiving meal bundles and ready-to-eat options, along with AI tools for planning meals and building shopping carts. The effort could support holiday grocery sales and reinforce convenience, though no expected financial impact was disclosed. Article: Kroger Makes Thanksgiving Easy This Year with Ultimate Convenience and Seamless Shopping
• Positive Sentiment: Local reports highlighted a new Kroger Marketplace in Owensboro and a $14 million store in Texas. New locations can add capacity and reach, although the reports do not indicate a material companywide growth effect. Article: New Kroger Marketplace Opens Thursday on Fairview Drive Article: Kroger Revs Up Texas Grocery Race with New $14M Store
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger scheduled its third-quarter 2026 earnings conference call for December 3. This sets the date for investors to hear results and management commentary; the announcement itself contains no financial update. Article: Kroger Announces Third Quarter Conference Call with Investors
• Negative Sentiment: A report says the $8 billion Albertsons-Kroger dispute is far from resolved. Continued legal or financial uncertainty could remain an overhang, although the provided article details do not specify the latest developments or likely outcome. Article: The $8B Albertsons-Kroger Fight Is Far From Over

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of Kroger 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,636,643.10. The trade was a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Harris Teeter and Smith’s, among others.

Kroger’s business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.