Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Boosts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 70.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,150 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,300 shares during the quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 268.1% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth about $33,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger Health launched its new GLP-1 Complete Support Program, with dietitians providing guidance for patients using weight-management medications. This could strengthen Kroger’s health-services offering and create a new customer-engagement opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A back-to-school hiring event is seeking to fill hundreds of store jobs across four states, signaling Kroger is still investing in store operations and labor coverage heading into a busy retail period. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s ongoing automation and robotics efforts in Columbus-area stores may support efficiency and long-term margin improvement. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Erste Group Bank lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $56.81 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $60.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.42. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $54.15 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The firm has a market cap of $34.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.44.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

Kroger 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.