Valley Wealth Managers Inc. Buys Shares of 316,674 The Kroger Co. $KR

Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 316,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,786,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. owned 0.05% of Kroger at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $916,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.0% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI boosted its position in Kroger by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 15,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $984,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $64.77 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.68 billion, a PE ratio of 42.33, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released 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 firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on KR shares. Barclays restated a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.56.

About Kroger

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.