Kimelman & Baird LLC Makes New $850,000 Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 15,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $850,000.

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

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 Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of KR opened at $57.73 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $35.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.43. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.15 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The company had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Barclays set a $61.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.00.

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.