The Kroger Co. $KR Stake Lowered by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. trimmed its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 44.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,354 shares of the company’s stock after selling 109,730 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Xponance Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 4.1% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 101,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,819,000 after buying an additional 3,940 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.4% during the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 119,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,034,000 after acquiring an additional 3,929 shares during the period. Choreo LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 4.4% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 45,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,035,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. West Family Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 20,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,381,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 19,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.93.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

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 Stock Performance

KR opened at $68.13 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $64.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $43.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 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.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

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.