The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,063,474 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 287,755 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of Kroger worth $139,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KR. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 87.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.93.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4%

KR opened at $68.13 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The firm has a market cap of $43.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.08, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its 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. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The firm had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

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.