The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Position Lowered by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 766,489 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,871 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $51,669,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 16.8% during the third 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 period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Barclays set a $68.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI set a $77.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $66.79 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a PE ratio of 61.84, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $63.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.28. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 129.63%.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes Kroger outperformed the market on a down day and highlights its momentum profile and history of earnings beats — supporting near-term upside and why traders are rotating into the stock. Why the Market Dipped But Kroger (KR) Gained Today
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst research from Zacks also points to Kroger’s favorable earnings surprise history and an Earnings ESP profile that suggests another potential beat — a driver for multiple expansion given Kroger’s recent guidance. Will Kroger (KR) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Management is expanding big-format Kroger Marketplace locations across Indiana, Texas and West Virginia — a growth strategy that can lift sales per store and market share in suburban/omnichannel grocery segments. Kroger doubles down on large-format stores as it chases growth
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger ranks among top grocers in ACSI customer-satisfaction measures — a brand/loyalty advantage that supports pricing power and basket retention. Here’s where Kroger stacks up among top grocers in customer satisfaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer-facing pieces summarizing Kroger’s pricing and savings policies can influence shopper behavior but are informational; they typically affect traffic gradually rather than immediately moving the stock. The Kroger Pricing Policy Worth Knowing Before Your Next Shopping Trip
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is closing walk-in health clinics in Georgia — a modest operational change that reduces noncore services; likely limited near-term revenue impact but worth watching as management refines strategy. Kroger to close its walk-in health clinics in Georgia
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR/community items (product rollouts and donations) boost brand goodwill but have limited direct effect on revenue or margins. Drive & Dish: Pacers and Kroger to Deliver 100K Eggs to Hoosiers
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing delay in naming a new CEO creates leadership uncertainty — a near-term governance/headline risk that can increase volatility and temper investor confidence until resolved. What’s taking Kroger so long to name a new CEO?

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.