Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Kroger (NYSE:KR) Stock Price

Kroger (NYSE:KR) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $73.00 to $67.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential upside of 18.44% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on KR. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.31.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

KR stock opened at $56.57 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $65.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.32. Kroger has a 52 week low of $56.32 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $34.65 billion, a PE ratio of 33.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 268.1% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.