The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 20.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 111,084 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,413 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $8,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after buying an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $837,113,000 after buying an additional 1,360,946 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,932,000 after acquiring an additional 122,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $470,561,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

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

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on KR. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Kroger Company 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.