Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $12.99 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 77.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 207,929 shares of the company’s stock after selling 714,553 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $12,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. WESPAC Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 16.8% in the third quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the third quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.8% during the third quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $665,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC raised its position in Kroger by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $73.14 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.29 billion, a PE ratio of 47.80, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $68.78 and its 200-day moving average is $66.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on KR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Eight 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 company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.