PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab Acquires 39,140 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab boosted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 30.1% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 169,114 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,140 shares during the period. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KR. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Erste Group Bank cut Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $63.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $56.70 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $34.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.35, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.16. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 82.35%.

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.