The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 88.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,550 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 24,187 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Kroger were worth $3,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kroger in the second quarter valued at $518,267,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in Kroger by 101.7% in the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,084,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059,574 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 299.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $120,965,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Kroger by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kroger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 26th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.13.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary suggests Kroger shares look attractively valued or offer discount opportunities for shoppers/investors, which could support buying interest. No Coupons Needed To Get Kroger At A Discount
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger marked a local milestone with a “grand re-opening” at its Airport Road store — a sign of continued investment in store refreshes that can help drive sales and traffic in that market. Kroger celebrates ‘Grand Re-Opening’ at Airport Road location
• Neutral Sentiment: Police report a suspect is in custody after a fatal shooting outside a Westland Kroger; a resolution to the investigation may limit prolonged reputational fallout but highlights heightened security risks for stores. Suspect in custody over fatal shooting at Westland Kroger store, police say
• Negative Sentiment: Groveland (local government/business) is seeking in excess of $1.4M from Kroger, alleging breach of contract tied to a distribution center closure. Although the amount is small relative to Kroger’s market cap, the claim underscores execution/partner-risk and could presage additional litigation or remediation costs in the region. Groveland wants $1.4 million from Kroger for facility closure
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports detail violent incidents at/near Kroger locations in the Detroit area, including the fatal shooting of a Salvation Army bell ringer outside a Westland store. These events raise concerns about customer and community safety, potential liability, and increased security costs, which can pressure local traffic and sales while also weighing on investor sentiment. Salvation Army bell ringer killed in shooting at Detroit-area Kroger Police search for suspect involved in shooting outside Kroger in Westland

Kroger Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE KR opened at $62.46 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $65.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.83. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.12 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $39.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.