The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Purchased by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 162.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,156 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 48,430 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WESPAC Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 13,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 18,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Kroger by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 6,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Kroger by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.56.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $65.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s fifty day moving average is $70.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.74. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $58.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.50%.

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.