Brokerages Set The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Target Price at $74.19

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.5625.

Several analysts have issued reports on KR shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 363,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,694,000 after buying an additional 44,807 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 44,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,784,000 after purchasing an additional 3,369 shares during the period. Bayban bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Mariner Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Mariner Investment Group LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $937,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE KR opened at $72.30 on Friday. 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 has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.26, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $65.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.88.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released 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. 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 analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business 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. On average, analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Customer Appreciation Week (March 11–17) returns — a major promotional event that can boost traffic, basket sizes and short-term sales. Kroger Brings Back Customer Appreciation Week with Special Savings Kroger Brings Back Customer Appreciation Week (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Roth MKM reiterated a “Buy” rating, signaling continued broker-level confidence. Kroger’s (KR) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Roth Mkm
• Positive Sentiment: New CEO messaging and management optimism — CEO Foran says Kroger “has all the ingredients to win,” which could reassure investors on strategy execution. Kroger has ‘all the ingredients to win,’ new CEO Foran says
• Positive Sentiment: Insider/insider-adjacent buy: Sen. John Boozman purchased Kroger shares — can be read as a small vote of confidence. Sen. John Boozman Purchases Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation: Kroger announced a new line-up of convenience meals — supports same-store sales and private-label growth. Kroger announces new line-up of convenience meals
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $71 but maintained a “neutral” rating — a modest signal (target is still slightly below the current price), so limited positive catalyst. Citigroup raises KR price target to $71 (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger has lagged many retail peers over the past year — underperformance raises concern about market-share momentum and investor sentiment. How Is Kroger’s Stock Performance Compared to Other Retail Stocks?
• Negative Sentiment: Labor/working-conditions scrutiny — coverage asking whether conditions will worsen under the new CEO could heighten union risk and operational disruptions. SN top 10: Will working conditions worsen at Kroger under new CEO?

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.