The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 82.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,989 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,821 shares during the quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 106.2% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 1,201 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.9% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 19,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,326,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 5.6% during the third quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 8,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 12.9% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 24,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,668,000 after acquiring an additional 2,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $63.00 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $65.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.76. The firm has a market cap of $39.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.33, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $58.12 and a one year high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued 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. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The business had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s board authorized an incremental $2.0 billion share repurchase, adding to the prior $7.5 billion program and leaving roughly $2.9 billion available — a direct capital-return action that supports EPS and signals management believes the stock is undervalued. Kroger’s Board of Directors Approves Additional $2.0 Billion Share Repurchase Authorization
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and coverage note Kroger’s shares have been under pressure this month, increasing the relative impact of buybacks; this context helps explain why management accelerated repurchases even as same-store trends remain mixed. Kroger’s stock may not seem so hot to investors, but the grocer keeps buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets published Kroger’s holiday hours and store-opening schedules for Christmas Eve/Day — useful for near-term traffic expectations but not a material change to fundamentals. Seasonal shopping patterns could modestly affect week-to-week sales. Grocery stores open on Christmas Eve: Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Sam’s Club, and more
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say a surge in retail crime has forced closures of about 60 Kroger stores, with significant job losses cited — this is a potential earnings and margin headwind if shrink, security costs, and local closures persist. $112B crime wave wipes out 60 Kroger stores in retail bloodbath – 9,000 jobs lost

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Evercore ISI set a $77.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Argus set a $85.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.13.

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.