State of Michigan Retirement System Boosts Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 64.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,285,087 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 892,500 shares during the period. Kroger makes up approximately 0.9% of State of Michigan Retirement System’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in Kroger were worth $165,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 3,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 10,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 17,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 5,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $59.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.44. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus 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.