111 Capital Purchases 7,877 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

111 Capital lifted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 66.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,740 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,877 shares during the period. 111 Capital’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Kroger by 45.2% during the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 78,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 24,395 shares during the period. BCGM Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 4.2% in the third quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,003,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 11.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 14,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after buying an additional 1,521 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.4% in the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 42,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,857,000 after buying an additional 3,277 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Summit Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.5% during the third quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 21,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointed a new CEO with Walmart U.S. experience — Kroger has hired the former Walmart U.S. boss as CEO, a hire investors may view as strengthening Kroger’s operations, merchandising and scale play. The Supply Side: Former Walmart U.S. boss hired as Kroger CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Pharmacy initiative to offer savings on GLP‑1 drugs — Kroger rolled out programs to reduce out‑of‑pocket costs for GLP‑1 medications, which can drive pharmacy traffic and same‑store sales if uptake is meaningful. Kroger Offers Savings Programs For GLP-1 Medications
• Positive Sentiment: Strengthening consumer brand play via MPearlRock — Kroger’s affiliate MPearlRock added three operating advisors to bolster value creation for portfolio brands, supporting long‑term growth in higher‑margin channels. MPearlRock Announces Addition of Three Distinguished Operating Advisors
• Positive Sentiment: Community/PR efforts — Kroger continued community outreach with donations and “Pack the Pantry” events at HBCUs, supporting brand goodwill and customer engagement. Kroger donates $35K to fight food insecurity at HBCUs
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado comments underscore Kroger’s automation pullback but broader market opportunity remains — Ocado says it still sees U.S. prospects even after Kroger closed several robotic DCs, highlighting a mixed signal on Kroger’s tech path. Ocado upbeat on US prospects despite Kroger setback
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger to Equal Weight and cut its price target to $68, citing caution on spending and growth — this analyst move is directly negative for sentiment and could limit near‑term upside. Wells Fargo Turns Neutral on Kroger (KR), Flags Spending and Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Continued store closures — reports that Kroger (parent of Fred Meyer/QFC) is closing stores nationwide may signal ongoing restructuring or weak locations, which can weigh on sales growth and investor sentiment. Fred Meyer, QFC parent company Kroger continues store closures nationwide

Kroger Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE KR opened at $68.13 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $43.11 billion, a PE ratio of 63.08, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.60 and a 200-day moving average of $65.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KR. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.93.

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.