Kroger (NYSE:KR) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Kroger (NYSE:KR) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on KR. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $72.35 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $69.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.52. Kroger has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after buying an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,249,307,000 after acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $837,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360,946 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,932,000 after purchasing an additional 122,606 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group started research coverage of Kroger, which can increase investor attention and liquidity and may support the share price if the reports are constructive. Kroger (NYSE:KR) Research Coverage Started at Erste Group Bank
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger to a “Buy,” a direct positive signal that can drive short-term demand and help sentiment among retail investors. Kroger (NYSE:KR) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen
• Positive Sentiment: TheStreet reports Target is pulling back from competing with Walmart and Kroger in a major area — less competition from a large general merchandiser could be a modest long-term tailwind for Kroger’s grocery share. Target quietly stops competing with Walmart, Kroger in major area
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets clarify Kroger’s Easter hours (open on Easter in many locations), a short-term operational note that can modestly lift weekend traffic but is unlikely to move the stock materially. Is Kroger open or closed on Easter Sunday 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: TheStreet and Today.com also ran practical pieces on Kroger’s Easter hours, reiterating the same customer-facing detail — useful for short-term sales but low market impact. Kroger Easter hours 2026: Is Kroger open on Easter Sunday
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo Finance published a valuation/DCF discussion asking whether Kroger’s current price and high P/E fully reflect upside — this keeps valuation risk in investors’ minds and can temper enthusiasm. Is Kroger (KR) Pricing Reflect Its DCF Upside And High P/E Multiple?
• Neutral Sentiment: An ancillary piece on Trader Joe’s (open on Easter) is informational for grocery shoppers but has limited direct impact on Kroger’s stock. Is Trader Joe’s open on Easter?
• Negative Sentiment: FDA-related reports say ~3 million bottles of eye drops sold at retailers including Kroger were recalled over potential contamination — poses a modest operational/reputational risk and could mean lost sales, recalls or litigation exposure depending on Kroger’s role in distribution. 3 Million Bottles of Eye Drops Sold at Walgreens, Kroger and More Recalled, FDA Says
• Negative Sentiment: Local coverage (Houston Chronicle) repeats the recall details; monitor potential inventory, returns or liability disclosures in Kroger’s filings or PR. 3 million bottles of eye drops sold at H-E-B, Walgreens, Kroger and CVS recalled over potential contamination

About Kroger

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.