The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,357,243 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 309,064 shares during the period. Kroger comprises approximately 1.4% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $209,761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 6,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. ING Groep NV increased its stake in Kroger by 166.6% during the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 78,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,935,000 after purchasing an additional 49,356 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 23,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 7,506 shares during the period. Finally, Weik Capital Management increased its stake in Kroger by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. Weik Capital Management now owns 8,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 3,250 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its new limited-time “All-American Ice Cream Collection” and giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift traffic and reinforce customer engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports noted new or upcoming Kroger Marketplace openings and development progress in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, signaling continued store expansion and local market investment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and local-news pieces highlighted the ice cream giveaway and store openings, but these are largely promotional updates rather than material financial catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a $2.5 million DOJ settlement over alleged Clean Air Act emissions violations, which adds a legal and compliance overhang even if the dollar amount is relatively small. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report suggesting Kroger may lose more executives could raise concerns about management turnover and continuity. Article Title

Kroger Stock Up 0.0%

KR stock opened at $63.59 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $67.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its 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. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Nine 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.73.

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.