Maj Invest Holding A S Buys 264,937 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Maj Invest Holding A S increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 17.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,780,542 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 264,937 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises about 4.5% of Maj Invest Holding A S’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Maj Invest Holding A S’s holdings in Kroger were worth $98,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup decreased their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $56.70 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.43. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $59.15 and a 200-day moving average of $65.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 82.35%.

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.