The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Acquired by State of Michigan Retirement System

State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 99.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 596,887 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 297,900 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in Kroger were worth $40,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 66.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its position in Kroger by 299.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $120,965,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Social and trader sentiment is upbeat about Kroger’s rebound potential despite recent profit volatility; posts highlight a low forward P/E, long dividend history and traders adding long exposure — supporting momentum and buyer interest. Kroger Stock (KR) Opinions on Recent Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional activity shows large buys from firms like Wellington, UBS and Goldman, offsetting notable sells — heavy additions by major asset managers can be a near-term support for the stock. Institutional holdings and hedge fund activity
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is favorable: recent “Buy/Outperform” notes and a median price target around $70 (several targets higher) give investors a visible upside reference that can lift sentiment. Analyst ratings and targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger scheduled its Q4 2025 earnings conference call for March 5 — management commentary and Q&A could move the stock depending on guidance detail and margin commentary. Earnings call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Management changes: Kroger named a new Central Division president as part of divisional reshuffling — typically neutral but worth watching for execution on regional performance. Kroger names new Central Division president
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and seasonal demand articles (Big Game/Valentine’s Day) and consumer tips increase traffic/awareness but are unlikely to materially change fundamentals on their own. In the Kitchen with Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close 18 retail health clinics in Georgia — closures signal portfolio pruning or cost actions but could reduce ancillary revenue and customer touchpoints in those markets. Kroger to reportedly close 18 health clinics in Georgia Kroger to close 18 retail health clinics
• Negative Sentiment: Store-safety incident: local reports of a fight and an individual reportedly pulling a gun prompted an evacuation at a Kroger store — negative for brand/safety perception in that location, though limited likely to be a localized, short-term impact. Kroger evacuated after fight breaks out Person reportedly pulls gun out during fight at local Kroger

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $67.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The company’s 50-day moving average is $63.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.25.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, December 5th. Barclays set a $68.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.07.

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.