SVB Wealth LLC Cuts Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

SVB Wealth LLC cut its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 51,838 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,342 shares during the quarter. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $3,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $65.68 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $40.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.93, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, February 9th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

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.