AIA Group Ltd Buys 64,162 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

AIA Group Ltd grew its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 141.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 109,563 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 64,162 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Kroger were worth $7,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WESPAC Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 during the period. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 16.8% in 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. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Barclays reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.56.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $73.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.36 billion, a PE ratio of 47.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

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.