CIBC Asset Management Inc Boosts Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 159,210 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 49,453 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 45.5% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 855,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,690,000 after buying an additional 267,434 shares during the last quarter. Longbow Finance SA purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,115,000. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 126.2% during the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 35,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,404,000 after buying an additional 19,898 shares during the last quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 1,010,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,122,000 after buying an additional 72,143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,063,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,099,000 after buying an additional 287,755 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $63.59 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.63. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 91.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Citigroup upped their price target on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.73.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its new limited-time “All-American Ice Cream Collection” and giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift traffic and reinforce customer engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports noted new or upcoming Kroger Marketplace openings and development progress in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, signaling continued store expansion and local market investment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and local-news pieces highlighted the ice cream giveaway and store openings, but these are largely promotional updates rather than material financial catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a $2.5 million DOJ settlement over alleged Clean Air Act emissions violations, which adds a legal and compliance overhang even if the dollar amount is relatively small. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report suggesting Kroger may lose more executives could raise concerns about management turnover and continuity. Article Title

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.