Longbow Finance SA Acquires New Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Longbow Finance SA purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 105,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,115,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Kroger by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,807,000 after purchasing an additional 16,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $201,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 61.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 50,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,613,000 after buying an additional 19,245 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 30.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 30,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,182,000 after buying an additional 7,082 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $70.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.39 billion, a PE ratio of 64.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.16.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 129.63%.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Greg Foran named new CEO — a well‑known retail operator with a track record of turning around large store fleets; markets view his hire as a shift from M&A toward operational execution, which has lifted confidence in Kroger’s standalone outlook. Meet the serial CEO taking over Kroger
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors are upbeat — Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an Outperform and some firms raised price targets, citing Foran’s credibility and potential margin improvement from a shift to a hybrid e‑commerce model and better store execution. Telsey Advisory Group Reiterates Outperform Rating for Kroger
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate actions supporting shareholder returns — recent buyback activity and an upcoming ex‑dividend date reinforce cash-return commitment, an important tailwind for income investors. MarketBeat KR overview
• Neutral Sentiment: Planned store closures in Houston — Kroger will close two more Houston‑area stores (following prior 2025 closures); management frames this as a long‑term health/realignment move but it removes local sales footprint and may pressure near‑term comps in those markets. Kroger to close 2 more Houston-area locations
• Neutral Sentiment: Store reopening after temporary closure — an isolated reopening (Worthington Mall) signals localized operational normalization rather than a material companywide shift. Kroger at Worthington Mall reopens
• Negative Sentiment: Product recall update — Kroger has issued recalls affecting multiple items across the U.S.; while typically manageable, recalls can dent near‑term margins, increase shrink/operational costs and weigh on foot traffic if issues persist. Kroger Recall Update for Multiple Items Across US

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on KR. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, December 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.07.

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.