M&G PLC Acquires 47,628 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

M&G PLC increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 550,537 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 47,628 shares during the period. M&G PLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $32,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at $31,000. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth $33,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 979.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 583 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the period. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $39,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Kroger News

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

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $10,636,643.10. The trade was a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6%

Kroger stock opened at $68.14 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $61.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.75. The firm has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.03, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius Research set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 target price (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group set a $66.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.35.

About Kroger

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.