Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 533,037 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,676 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.08% of Kroger worth $35,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Kroger by 66.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after buying an additional 2,100,444 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Kroger by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,680,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $311,843,000 after buying an additional 265,127 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 7.9% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,126,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,028,000 after acquiring an additional 300,784 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board taps Greg Foran (ex‑Walmart US, former Air New Zealand CEO) to lead Kroger; his track record on store operations and execution is being credited with restoring investor confidence. Fortune profile of Greg Foran
• Positive Sentiment: Shares have rallied on the CEO news and analysts have reaffirmed bullish views (Guggenheim reasserted a buy rating with a $78 target; Telsey reiterated Outperform), supporting further upside if execution follows. Benzinga note on analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative now favors operational fixes over acquisitions: Kroger’s write‑downs on automated fulfillment centers have “cleared the decks,” and management is shifting to a hybrid, store‑based fulfillment model that Street analysts estimate could add roughly $400M of e‑commerce profitability in 2026. Seeking Alpha: time for re‑rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger remains shareholder‑friendly: recent accelerated buybacks and an upcoming ex‑dividend date keep income investors engaged, but these are supportive rather than transformational. (Company filings/coverage)
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close two Houston‑area stores in April as part of “long‑term health” moves — a short‑term negative for sales in those markets but consistent with a cost/portfolio optimization play. Yahoo: Houston store closures
• Negative Sentiment: Local resistance to some new store proposals (e.g., walkability concerns west of Kalamazoo) may slow expansion projects and complicate site selection. MSN: Kalamazoo walkability concerns

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Barclays restated a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

Kroger Stock Up 1.0%

KR opened at $68.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $43.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.63, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.13. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 129.63%.

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.