111 Capital Acquires 7,877 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

111 Capital raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 66.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,740 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,877 shares during the period. 111 Capital’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 87.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.93.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointed a new CEO with Walmart U.S. experience — Kroger has hired the former Walmart U.S. boss as CEO, a hire investors may view as strengthening Kroger’s operations, merchandising and scale play. The Supply Side: Former Walmart U.S. boss hired as Kroger CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Pharmacy initiative to offer savings on GLP‑1 drugs — Kroger rolled out programs to reduce out‑of‑pocket costs for GLP‑1 medications, which can drive pharmacy traffic and same‑store sales if uptake is meaningful. Kroger Offers Savings Programs For GLP-1 Medications
• Positive Sentiment: Strengthening consumer brand play via MPearlRock — Kroger’s affiliate MPearlRock added three operating advisors to bolster value creation for portfolio brands, supporting long‑term growth in higher‑margin channels. MPearlRock Announces Addition of Three Distinguished Operating Advisors
• Positive Sentiment: Community/PR efforts — Kroger continued community outreach with donations and “Pack the Pantry” events at HBCUs, supporting brand goodwill and customer engagement. Kroger donates $35K to fight food insecurity at HBCUs
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado comments underscore Kroger’s automation pullback but broader market opportunity remains — Ocado says it still sees U.S. prospects even after Kroger closed several robotic DCs, highlighting a mixed signal on Kroger’s tech path. Ocado upbeat on US prospects despite Kroger setback
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger to Equal Weight and cut its price target to $68, citing caution on spending and growth — this analyst move is directly negative for sentiment and could limit near‑term upside. Wells Fargo Turns Neutral on Kroger (KR), Flags Spending and Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Continued store closures — reports that Kroger (parent of Fred Meyer/QFC) is closing stores nationwide may signal ongoing restructuring or weak locations, which can weigh on sales growth and investor sentiment. Fred Meyer, QFC parent company Kroger continues store closures nationwide

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $68.13 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $43.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.85. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 129.63%.

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.