Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 10,893 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 21.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 62,443 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,893 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Kroger were worth $4,209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth about $518,267,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Kroger by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,680,219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,843,000 after buying an additional 265,127 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Kroger by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,309,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,476,000 after acquiring an additional 41,904 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,126,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,028,000 after acquiring an additional 300,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 2,956,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,044,000 after acquiring an additional 83,735 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $67.54 on Friday. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $42.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.54, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $63.01 and its 200 day moving average is $66.20.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KR. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore set a $77.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.07.

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.