The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Position Boosted by Joseph Group Capital Management

Joseph Group Capital Management raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,212 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,541 shares during the quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 36,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 10,324 shares in the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 99,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,821,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. M Holdings Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth $456,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 22,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,293,000 after buying an additional 4,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 86,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,057,000 after buying an additional 7,105 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 14th. UBS Group set a $66.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Melius Research set a $80.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Kroger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price target (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.35.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6%

KR stock opened at $68.14 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.75. The company has a market capitalization of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.03, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.15 and a twelve month high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen raised Kroger’s stock rating to Buy, providing a favorable analyst signal. Kroger Stock Rating Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is offering veterans and military families a 10% Veterans Day discount. The promotion may support customer goodwill, but its financial impact is likely limited. Kroger Offers Veterans Day Discount
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports of vehicles crashing into Kroger store entrances concern individual locations and do not indicate a company-wide operating issue. A meal-prep video featuring Kroger groceries is also unlikely to materially affect the stock. Driver Cited After Crashing Into Local Kroger Honeysuckle Meal-Preps With Kroger Groceries
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage underscores Kroger’s challenge competing on price: Consumer Reports put its prices 14.8% above Walmart’s, and Kroger’s CEO has said the company is not trying to be the cheapest. A persistent gap could make it harder to retain price-sensitive shoppers or grow sales, even if competing on price is not Kroger’s strategy. Kroger’s Price Gap With Walmart Regional Grocers’ Pricing Challenge

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co is a U.S. grocery retailer founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883 by Bernard Kroger. It operates supermarkets and other grocery formats across the United States under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, King Soopers, and Smith’s.

Alongside groceries and household essentials, Kroger stores offer services such as pharmacies and fuel centers. The company also sells products under its own private-label brands and produces many of those items through its food manufacturing operations.

Kroger serves customers through physical stores and digital channels, including online ordering for pickup and delivery.