TD Asset Management Inc Raises Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 19.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 265,204 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 43,902 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $17,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 87.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointed a new CEO with Walmart U.S. experience — Kroger has hired the former Walmart U.S. boss as CEO, a hire investors may view as strengthening Kroger’s operations, merchandising and scale play. The Supply Side: Former Walmart U.S. boss hired as Kroger CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Pharmacy initiative to offer savings on GLP‑1 drugs — Kroger rolled out programs to reduce out‑of‑pocket costs for GLP‑1 medications, which can drive pharmacy traffic and same‑store sales if uptake is meaningful. Kroger Offers Savings Programs For GLP-1 Medications
• Positive Sentiment: Strengthening consumer brand play via MPearlRock — Kroger’s affiliate MPearlRock added three operating advisors to bolster value creation for portfolio brands, supporting long‑term growth in higher‑margin channels. MPearlRock Announces Addition of Three Distinguished Operating Advisors
• Positive Sentiment: Community/PR efforts — Kroger continued community outreach with donations and “Pack the Pantry” events at HBCUs, supporting brand goodwill and customer engagement. Kroger donates $35K to fight food insecurity at HBCUs
• Neutral Sentiment: Ocado comments underscore Kroger’s automation pullback but broader market opportunity remains — Ocado says it still sees U.S. prospects even after Kroger closed several robotic DCs, highlighting a mixed signal on Kroger’s tech path. Ocado upbeat on US prospects despite Kroger setback
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded Kroger to Equal Weight and cut its price target to $68, citing caution on spending and growth — this analyst move is directly negative for sentiment and could limit near‑term upside. Wells Fargo Turns Neutral on Kroger (KR), Flags Spending and Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Continued store closures — reports that Kroger (parent of Fred Meyer/QFC) is closing stores nationwide may signal ongoing restructuring or weak locations, which can weigh on sales growth and investor sentiment. Fred Meyer, QFC parent company Kroger continues store closures nationwide

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore set a $77.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.93.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4%

KR stock opened at $68.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.85. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $58.60 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The company has a market capitalization of $43.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 129.63%.

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.