Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,443 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,893 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Kroger were worth $4,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Kroger by 102.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 168,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,079,000 after purchasing an additional 85,223 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 2,313.4% during the second quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 138,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,964,000 after buying an additional 133,159 shares during the period. Advocate Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 16.6% during the second quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 121,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,707,000 after acquiring an additional 17,284 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 43.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 72,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,870,000 after acquiring an additional 21,876 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at $480,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Social and trader sentiment is upbeat about Kroger’s rebound potential despite recent profit volatility; posts highlight a low forward P/E, long dividend history and traders adding long exposure — supporting momentum and buyer interest. Kroger Stock (KR) Opinions on Recent Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional activity shows large buys from firms like Wellington, UBS and Goldman, offsetting notable sells — heavy additions by major asset managers can be a near-term support for the stock. Institutional holdings and hedge fund activity
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is favorable: recent “Buy/Outperform” notes and a median price target around $70 (several targets higher) give investors a visible upside reference that can lift sentiment. Analyst ratings and targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger scheduled its Q4 2025 earnings conference call for March 5 — management commentary and Q&A could move the stock depending on guidance detail and margin commentary. Earnings call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Management changes: Kroger named a new Central Division president as part of divisional reshuffling — typically neutral but worth watching for execution on regional performance. Kroger names new Central Division president
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and seasonal demand articles (Big Game/Valentine’s Day) and consumer tips increase traffic/awareness but are unlikely to materially change fundamentals on their own. In the Kitchen with Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger plans to close 18 retail health clinics in Georgia — closures signal portfolio pruning or cost actions but could reduce ancillary revenue and customer touchpoints in those markets. Kroger to reportedly close 18 health clinics in Georgia Kroger to close 18 retail health clinics
• Negative Sentiment: Store-safety incident: local reports of a fight and an individual reportedly pulling a gun prompted an evacuation at a Kroger store — negative for brand/safety perception in that location, though limited likely to be a localized, short-term impact. Kroger evacuated after fight breaks out Person reportedly pulls gun out during fight at local Kroger

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.07.

Kroger Stock Up 1.3%

Kroger stock opened at $67.54 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a PE ratio of 62.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.62. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $63.01 and a 200 day moving average of $66.20. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $58.60 and a one year high of $74.90.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

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.