Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $8.10 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 53.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 129,696 shares of the company’s stock after selling 148,751 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Kroger were worth $8,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of KR stock opened at $72.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.55. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Kroger 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.