The Kroger Co. $KR Stake Lifted by Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,482 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,552 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Joseph Group Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 63,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,282,000 after buying an additional 12,629 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth about $62,000. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 10.5% in the third quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Kroger by 14.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Groesbeck Investment Management Corp NJ lifted its holdings in Kroger by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Groesbeck Investment Management Corp NJ now owns 4,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm raised Kroger from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $66.00 to $75.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Argus set a $85.00 price objective on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.19.

Kroger Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $59.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $37.66 billion, a PE ratio of 55.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.61. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.12 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.29.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 38.06%. The firm had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger completed the sale of Vitacost to iHerb to streamline operations, preserve its 2025 guidance, and refocus on core grocery and margin improvement — management portrays the deal as part of a strategic review to simplify the business. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: iHerb says the Vitacost acquisition strengthens its U.S. business in vitamins/minerals/supplements — the buyer’s strategic rationale increases the likelihood of a smooth transition and reduces execution risk for Kroger. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and options traders showed bullish signals: Deutsche Bank upgraded KR from Hold to Buy with a $75 target, and there was unusually high call‑option volume — both indicate upside conviction among some institutional and derivatives traders. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer‑facing initiatives continue: Kroger launched a “Verified Savings” program and targeted discounts for SNAP/WIC/Medicaid shoppers and debuted checkout features highlighting customer savings — moves that may help traffic, loyalty and comps in a tight consumer spending environment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Store-level experiments: a proposed State Street remodel includes an in‑store Dunkin’ — incremental non‑grocery partnerships can boost traffic but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: outlets rank grocery chains (where Kroger appears) and competitor valuation stories (e.g., Albertsons) are circulating — useful for relative valuation but not an immediate company catalyst. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger will close about 60 stores as part of a post‑merger refocus on stronger markets — the planned closures signal ongoing restructuring and cost but raise near‑term execution and severance costs and reduce store count. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/PR hit: a Kroger store in Orion Township remained closed after inspectors found rodent evidence — localized food‑safety incidents can pressure traffic and require remediation spend and invite short‑term negative headlines. Read More.

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.