Bank of Nova Scotia Boosts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 218.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 339,278 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 232,899 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Kroger were worth $24,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 268.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $56.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.39. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.44.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The business had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.35%.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger Health launched its new GLP-1 Complete Support Program, with dietitians providing guidance for patients using weight-management medications. This could strengthen Kroger’s health-services offering and create a new customer-engagement opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A back-to-school hiring event is seeking to fill hundreds of store jobs across four states, signaling Kroger is still investing in store operations and labor coverage heading into a busy retail period. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s ongoing automation and robotics efforts in Columbus-area stores may support efficiency and long-term margin improvement. Article Title

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.