Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 766,489 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,871 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of Kroger worth $51,669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Kroger by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,807,000 after purchasing an additional 16,270 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 1.9% during the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 8.2% in the second quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 8,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes Kroger outperformed the market on a down day and highlights its momentum profile and history of earnings beats — supporting near-term upside and why traders are rotating into the stock. Why the Market Dipped But Kroger (KR) Gained Today
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst research from Zacks also points to Kroger’s favorable earnings surprise history and an Earnings ESP profile that suggests another potential beat — a driver for multiple expansion given Kroger’s recent guidance. Will Kroger (KR) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Management is expanding big-format Kroger Marketplace locations across Indiana, Texas and West Virginia — a growth strategy that can lift sales per store and market share in suburban/omnichannel grocery segments. Kroger doubles down on large-format stores as it chases growth
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger ranks among top grocers in ACSI customer-satisfaction measures — a brand/loyalty advantage that supports pricing power and basket retention. Here’s where Kroger stacks up among top grocers in customer satisfaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer-facing pieces summarizing Kroger’s pricing and savings policies can influence shopper behavior but are informational; they typically affect traffic gradually rather than immediately moving the stock. The Kroger Pricing Policy Worth Knowing Before Your Next Shopping Trip
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is closing walk-in health clinics in Georgia — a modest operational change that reduces noncore services; likely limited near-term revenue impact but worth watching as management refines strategy. Kroger to close its walk-in health clinics in Georgia
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR/community items (product rollouts and donations) boost brand goodwill but have limited direct effect on revenue or margins. Drive & Dish: Pacers and Kroger to Deliver 100K Eggs to Hoosiers
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing delay in naming a new CEO creates leadership uncertainty — a near-term governance/headline risk that can increase volatility and temper investor confidence until resolved. What’s taking Kroger so long to name a new CEO?

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $66.79 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a PE ratio of 61.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. The firm’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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 129.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on KR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

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.