Danske Bank A S Purchases New Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 444,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,673,000. Danske Bank A S owned about 0.07% of Kroger at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Bonfire Financial acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at about $1,168,000. Oxbow Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $961,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,963,000. Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,875,000. Finally, RHS Financial LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $371,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is expanding and refreshing its retail footprint, including new Marketplace locations in metro Atlanta and a remodeled Worthington, Ohio, store. The investments could improve customer experience, sales productivity and local market competitiveness. Kroger opens new Marketplace locations in metro Atlanta
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: Kroger’s average brokerage recommendation is equivalent to a Buy, while recent analysis describes the shares as reasonably valued after their decline. The appointment of Nate Faust to lead e-commerce could support better digital execution and efficiency over time. Kroger stock looks reasonable as e-commerce leadership changes start
• Positive Sentiment: The nationwide rollout of Fold Bitcoin Gift Cards gives Kroger a new payments and rewards-related offering, although the near-term financial impact is likely limited. Kroger rolls out Fold Bitcoin Gift Card program nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger plans to close 60 U.S. stores in 2026. Management may be using the closures to eliminate underperforming locations and improve profitability, but the scale of the reductions raises concerns about sales, market share and restructuring costs. Kroger closing 60 stores in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Kroger’s customer traffic is declining suggest shoppers may be cutting back or shifting business to competitors. Persistent traffic weakness could pressure identical-store sales and margins. Kroger’s traffic woes reflect the market
• Negative Sentiment: A recall involving jalapeño products sold at Kroger and other retailers creates food-safety and reputational risk, though the incident also affects competitors. Products recalled over jalapeño salmonella outbreak
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to pay $75,000 to settle an EEOC disability-discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. The financial cost is small, but the case adds legal, compliance and reputational pressure. Kroger to pay $75,000 in EEOC lawsuit

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $56.34 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.81. The company has a market capitalization of $34.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

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 business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 91.76%.

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.