Wellington Management Group LLP Raises Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 61.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 0.05% of Kroger worth $2,249,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. WESPAC Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 24.1% in the second quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger expanded access to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound® KwikPen at participating Kroger pharmacies, which can drive pharmacy revenue, strengthen Kroger’s healthcare positioning and attract higher-margin prescription sales (and the company will honor manufacturer savings programs for eligible patients). Kroger Brings Zepbound® KwikPen to Retail Pharmacy
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage noting the pharmacy rollout and investor reaction contributed to shares edging up; the Benzinga note flags near-term investor interest tied to the Zepbound availability. Kroger Shares Rise As Pharmacies Add Eli Lilly’s Zepbound KwikPen
• Positive Sentiment: KR’s technical/momentum profile improved after a Relative Strength rating lift to 82, which can attract momentum and technical-focused buyers. Kroger Stock Gets Relative Strength Rating Lift To 82
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash flow (ex-dividend in May; paid June 1). Dividend growth history may underpin valuation support. Kroger’s Board of Directors Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and post-earnings positioning continued to lift sentiment—notes point to EPS beats, FY2026 guidance and several price-target increases that have helped push shares higher after the March 5 results. Kroger shares rise 3.9% as post-earnings optimism and price-target hikes build
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger hit an all-time intraday high recently, reflecting momentum; while bullish, this can also invite short-term profit-taking. Kroger stock reaches all-time high at 74.92 USD
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close about 50 Little Clinics — a cost-cutting/reshaping move that may reduce near-term healthcare footprint and could signal lower near-term revenue from those locations. Investors may view this as a strategic tradeoff. Kroger plans to shutter 50 Little Clinics
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risks from the Iran war (Strait of Hormuz disruptions) could push up supply-chain costs and retail prices, pressuring margins for grocers including Kroger if input costs rise or supply chains tighten. This is an industry-level headwind with uncertain timing. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Seeking Alpha piece argued Kroger may be fairly valued after a rally and flagged a downgrade — a reminder some analysts see less upside after the run-up, which can cap near-term gains. Kroger: Strong E-commerce Growth, But Fairly Valued After Rally (Downgrade)

Kroger Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of KR opened at $75.65 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The stock has a market cap of $47.87 billion, a PE ratio of 49.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $66.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.03.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. Kroger’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 91.50%.

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.