Avanza Fonder AB Buys 13,684 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Avanza Fonder AB boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 20.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,159 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,684 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Kroger by 61.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after buying an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Kroger by 66.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,245,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100,444 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in Kroger by 299.6% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,127 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE KR opened at $72.70 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.01 billion, a PE ratio of 47.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $68.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.56.

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.