Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Sells 66,636 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 21.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 243,627 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,636 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $16,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 102.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 168,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,079,000 after buying an additional 85,223 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 72,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,870,000 after acquiring an additional 21,876 shares in the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 85.0% during the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 857,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,828,000 after acquiring an additional 394,060 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its position in Kroger by 401.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 19,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,293,000 after acquiring an additional 15,586 shares during the period. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its stake in Kroger by 64.7% during the third quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 45,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,051,000 after acquiring an additional 17,777 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat on profit and margins: Kroger reported adjusted EPS above estimates, delivered gross‑margin expansion and 20% e‑commerce growth; management also rolled out FY‑26 adjusted EPS guidance above consensus and approved further buybacks — a clear catalyst for earnings per‑share growth. PR Newswire
• Positive Sentiment: Large, sustained capital returns: Management completed accelerated repurchases in 2025 and the board approved an additional $2B repurchase authorization on top of a $7.5B program; analysts and commentators say buybacks plus a growing dividend underpin long‑term per‑share upside. MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Street support and upgrades: Several shops have reiterated/raised ratings and price targets (e.g., Roth MKM reaffirmed buy with a $78 PT; Telsey lifted its target), reinforcing positive sentiment into the print. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow: Call buying spiked (large single‑day activity), suggesting some traders are positioning for additional upside or event‑driven moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: New CEO’s playbook: Greg Foran is pushing lower prices, sharper promotions, AI and e‑commerce improvements to accelerate sales — a credible strategic pivot but execution and timing remain uncertain. FoodBusinessNews
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus is broadly constructive (moderate buy), but median price targets leave limited near‑term upside absent stronger top‑line revisions. AmericanBankingNews
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and sales outlook are muted: Q4 revenue slightly missed estimates and management offered modest identical‑sales guidance for 2026 (1–2% ex‑fuel), tempering a rally based solely on EPS strength. Retail Insight Network
• Negative Sentiment: Product recalls: Kroger‑branded and partner rice/frozen products were included in a glass‑fragment recall, creating short‑term inventory, sales and reputational headwinds in affected markets. MSN
• Negative Sentiment: Labor and legal exposure: Class‑action suits over e‑commerce worker classification and heightened union friction (Teamsters commentary) add regulatory/legal risk and potential costs. GroceryDive
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend sustainability question: Commentary flagged a high payout ratio on a GAAP basis (dividend > GAAP net income), which could worry income investors despite strong cash flow and buybacks. 24/7 Wall St.

Kroger Stock Up 3.8%

KR opened at $74.31 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.57, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $65.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.85. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $58.60 and a twelve month high of $74.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KR. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Eight investment 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.38.

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.