7,303 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR Acquired by M Holdings Securities Inc.

M Holdings Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $456,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH acquired a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 979.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 75.0% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Kroger News

Investors following KR have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: A long-term investing article highlights Kroger’s relatively quick dividend growth and illustrates how recurring annual investments could build dividend income over time. The example is a projection, not a guaranteed return. If You Invest $1,200 a year in Kroger Stock, Here’s the Dividend Income It Could Generate Over 20 Years
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage argues Kroger’s grocery “moat” remains a strength amid uncertainty around the Albertsons deal, supporting the case for its competitive resilience. Albertsons deal or no deal: Why Kroger’s grocery moat is winning
• Negative Sentiment: Five Below, Dollar General and Ollie’s are identified as competitors creating challenges for traditional grocers, potentially adding pressure to Kroger’s customer traffic and pricing. Five Below and Dollar General challenge Kroger, Publix

Kroger Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $69.49 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.81. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 84.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane raised Kroger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Evercore set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $60.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.35.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This represents a 29.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.