Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Increases Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 30.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 894,217 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 209,264 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Kroger were worth $55,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 3rd quarter worth $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 253.9% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 584 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger highlights customer demand for Pickup & Delivery and launched an Online Deal Days promotion (Apr. 22–May 5) to drive digital traffic and basket growth; this supports sales and margin leverage from higher-margin convenience services. Kroger Dishes on How Customers Love to Shop Online Just in Time for Online Deal Days
• Positive Sentiment: Harris Teeter associates (a Kroger banner) ran volunteer activities across seven markets for National Volunteer Week — a community-engagement story that supports brand goodwill and local customer relationships. Harris Teeter Associates Volunteer Across Seven Markets for National Volunteer Week
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger earned a Platinum rating from the Burning Glass Institute and the Schultz Family Foundation for career growth and internal mobility — a positive for retention, hiring efficiency and long-term labor cost dynamics. Kroger Recognized for Career Growth and Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry news: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream hired a former Ben & Jerry’s chief as CEO — notable in the specialty ice cream space but unlikely to materially affect Kroger’s overall grocery business near-term. Jeni’s scoops up former Ben & Jerry’s chief as CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated tech/security product launch (Codenotary) — not relevant to Kroger’s fundamentals. Codenotary Accelerates Enterprise Adoption, Expands Into AI Agent Security and Autonomous Remediation
• Negative Sentiment: Local & investigative reports highlight Kroger’s biggest recent shakeup in store count and executive ranks in over a decade — store closures and leadership turnover raise concerns about execution, earnings cadence and cost of repositioning. Kroger made biggest shakeup in more than a decade in store count, executive officers over past year
• Negative Sentiment: A false bomb threat forced an evacuation at a Kroger store in Fountain City — a localized safety incident that can dent near-term traffic and creates headline risk. Man charged after false bomb threat forces Kroger evacuation in Fountain City

Kroger Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $67.98 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $70.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The company has a market capitalization of $41.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.43, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.55. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $76.58.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis 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 presently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.