Wealthfront Advisers LLC Makes New $10.96 Million Investment in The Kroger Co. $KR

Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 197,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,963,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allstate Corp raised its stake in Kroger by 108.5% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,998,000 after acquiring an additional 24,976 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after acquiring an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its position in Kroger by 10,178.7% during the 4th quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 507,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,706,000 after acquiring an additional 502,522 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth $76,633,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 894,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,946,000 after purchasing an additional 209,264 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $63.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $56.34 on Thursday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.81. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The stock has a market cap of $34.51 billion, a PE ratio of 33.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

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.