The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Bought by Financial Enhancement Group LLC

Financial Enhancement Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 122,819 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,250 shares during the period. Financial Enhancement Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,820,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $470,561,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 299.6% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after buying an additional 1,814,721 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in Kroger by 48.6% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,445,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,754,000 after buying an additional 1,453,966 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC grew its position in Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,113,000 after buying an additional 1,360,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 95.6% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,638,000 after buying an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE KR opened at $57.81 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $54.15 and a twelve month high of $76.58. 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 stock has a market cap of $35.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.01, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $59.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.30.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are cautiously optimistic about Kroger despite its recent underperformance, with the company’s valuation and earnings outlook offering potential upside. Kroger’s latest guidance calls for fiscal 2026 EPS of $5.10 to $5.30, broadly consistent with the analyst consensus. Kroger Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually strong options activity provided a bullish market signal, with traders purchasing 27,085 KR call options—112% above the average daily volume. Options activity can indicate increased expectations for a potential rebound, although it does not guarantee sustained buying in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Harris Teeter, Kroger’s subsidiary, launched prescription delivery bundled with grocery delivery through Instacart. The service could improve customer convenience, strengthen digital engagement and support sales growth in pharmacy and e-commerce. Harris Teeter Launches New Prescription Delivery Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Incoming CEO Greg Foran’s international retail experience may help Kroger respond to changing consumer behavior and improve operations, but the article does not identify a specific near-term financial benefit. How executives with international experience give grocers a critical edge
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported changes at Kroger and Walmart stores in Indianapolis suggest ongoing efforts to adapt local operations, though the available information does not establish a clear companywide earnings impact. Indianapolis shoppers see big changes at local Walmart, Kroger stores
• Negative Sentiment: Continued store closures raise concerns about Kroger’s growth prospects, customer traffic and potential restructuring costs, even if closures ultimately improve efficiency. Grocery giant Kroger keeps closing stores
• Negative Sentiment: A voluntary recall of prepared foods and baked products sold at Kroger and other retailers over possible aluminum or metal contamination creates a limited product and reputational risk, although the products were manufactured by Ukrop Homestyle Foods rather than Kroger. Baked products recalled over fears of aluminum slivers

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KR. UBS Group set a $63.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup cut their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

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.