Kroger (NYSE:KR) Research Coverage Started at Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. 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. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore set a $77.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $72.35 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $69.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.52. Kroger has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $76.58.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 268.1% in the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Company 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.