The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 210,856 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,203 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 87.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. 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. Barclays reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $73.79 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.19. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.60 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

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.