Corient Private Wealth LP Trims Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Corient Private Wealth LP cut its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 18.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 309,630 shares of the company’s stock after selling 72,154 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP owned approximately 0.05% of Kroger worth $17,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KR. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays set a $61.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

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 Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $57.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $57.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.45. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.15 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued 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 return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

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.