Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Sells 12,115 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC cut its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 26,229 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,115 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 27.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Kroger by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,807,000 after buying an additional 16,270 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $201,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 40.1% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 44,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,227,000 after acquiring an additional 12,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Kroger by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 80,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,744,000 after acquiring an additional 8,830 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $70.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $44.64 billion, a PE ratio of 46.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.45.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.56.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger reported stronger profitability, improved operating profit, significant EPS growth and much better cash from operations in its latest quarter — evidence earnings quality and cash flow are improving. Q4 results
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s deal with Google to combine checkout data with YouTube-scale advertising could boost retail-media revenue and improve ad targeting — a strategic growth lever beyond grocery margins. Kroger-Google retail media
• Positive Sentiment: Seasonal promotions and community programs (Easter sales, local ham distributions, sponsored content) may lift near-term traffic and basket sizes entering Q2. Easter promotions Sponsored content
• Neutral Sentiment: Street sentiment remains generally constructive (median analyst target near $72 and several “Outperform” ratings), which supports a baseline for the stock even amid volatility. Analyst sentiment / local expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR items (a second store in Taylor, community ham distribution) are positive for brand/traffic but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Community partnership
• Negative Sentiment: California and a coalition of states are seeking $10.3M in fees/costs for helping block the Kroger‑Albertsons merger — a reminder of ongoing antitrust scrutiny and potential legal/transaction friction. Antitrust fee request
• Negative Sentiment: The EEOC has sued Kroger’s Texas operations alleging failure to accommodate an employee with a disability and wrongful termination — regulatory/legal risk and reputational damage that could attract further enforcement or costs. EEOC lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger is closing several underperforming stores (including recent closures in Houston/California) and faces local discrimination allegations — these actions reduce footprint but can weigh on near-term sales, create restructuring charges and hurt brand perception. Store closures Discrimination allegation
• Negative Sentiment: Large institutional sellers (noted in recent filings) have materially reduced positions — supply-side pressure that can amplify downward moves even as fundamentals show improvement. Institutional flows

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.