Gallacher Capital Management LLC Takes Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $736,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $518,267,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 66.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100,444 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 299.6% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $120,965,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on KR. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (down previously from $78.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.07.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR opened at $66.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $58.60 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes Kroger outperformed the market on a down day and highlights its momentum profile and history of earnings beats — supporting near-term upside and why traders are rotating into the stock. Why the Market Dipped But Kroger (KR) Gained Today
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst research from Zacks also points to Kroger’s favorable earnings surprise history and an Earnings ESP profile that suggests another potential beat — a driver for multiple expansion given Kroger’s recent guidance. Will Kroger (KR) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Management is expanding big-format Kroger Marketplace locations across Indiana, Texas and West Virginia — a growth strategy that can lift sales per store and market share in suburban/omnichannel grocery segments. Kroger doubles down on large-format stores as it chases growth
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger ranks among top grocers in ACSI customer-satisfaction measures — a brand/loyalty advantage that supports pricing power and basket retention. Here’s where Kroger stacks up among top grocers in customer satisfaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer-facing pieces summarizing Kroger’s pricing and savings policies can influence shopper behavior but are informational; they typically affect traffic gradually rather than immediately moving the stock. The Kroger Pricing Policy Worth Knowing Before Your Next Shopping Trip
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger is closing walk-in health clinics in Georgia — a modest operational change that reduces noncore services; likely limited near-term revenue impact but worth watching as management refines strategy. Kroger to close its walk-in health clinics in Georgia
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR/community items (product rollouts and donations) boost brand goodwill but have limited direct effect on revenue or margins. Drive & Dish: Pacers and Kroger to Deliver 100K Eggs to Hoosiers
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing delay in naming a new CEO creates leadership uncertainty — a near-term governance/headline risk that can increase volatility and temper investor confidence until resolved. What’s taking Kroger so long to name a new CEO?

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.