The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Soltis Investment Advisors LLC

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 835.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,103 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,390 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,016,956,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $195,234,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $157,533,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $119,723,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Melius Research set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on shares of Kroger from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group set a $66.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised Kroger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.35.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger plans to invest approximately $5 billion through 2029 to lower everyday prices and simplify promotions. Management also expects e-commerce to eventually represent about 30% of sales, potentially strengthening customer traffic and digital growth. Kroger Says It Will Spend $5 Billion Through 2029 Lowering Prices
• Positive Sentiment: The company is accelerating direct sourcing to improve cost visibility and control, which could support margins over time despite the near-term expense of lower prices. Kroger Accelerates Direct Sourcing Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicates increased bullish speculative interest: 36,862 calls traded, compared with typical volume of about 15,056. This is a sentiment indicator rather than a change to Kroger’s fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger agreed to acquire Giant Eagle in a proposed $1.65 billion cash-and-stock transaction. Combining loyalty programs, pharmacy records and digital platforms could create data and operating synergies, but privacy concerns surrounding purchasing, behavioral and location data may increase regulatory and reputational risk. Kroger Just Put $1.65 Billion Behind a Data Privacy Test
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger and Albertsons are concluding witness testimony in Delaware litigation over their failed merger. The case could result in additional costs or damages and keeps scrutiny on Kroger’s prior consolidation strategy. Albertsons and Kroger Fighting in Court Over Failed Merger
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons is promoting a lower-cost annual membership program, potentially intensifying competition for value-conscious grocery shoppers alongside Walmart and Amazon. Albertsons Has a New Advantage for Grocery Shoppers

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $66.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $39.41 billion, a PE ratio of 36.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $60.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.73% and a return on equity of 49.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 84.78%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. This trade represents a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Harris Teeter and Smith’s, among others.

Kroger’s business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.