Sanctuary Advisors LLC Purchases 34,755 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 47.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 108,072 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,755 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $7,820,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,153,622,000 after buying an additional 386,503 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 11.3% during the 4th 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. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Kroger by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,932,000 after buying an additional 122,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $470,561,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced a partnership with Mid-Ohio Food Collective aimed at a $100,000 flash match goal, highlighting continued community engagement and brand goodwill. Kroger partners with Mid-Ohio Food Collective for $100,000 flash match goal
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is expanding its wine business with 147 new wine shops nationwide, a move that could support higher-margin sales and strengthen its premium offerings. Kroger bets on luxury wines with 147 new wine shops nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage continue to debate Kroger’s valuation, with one recent piece suggesting the stock may be trading near fair value rather than at a discount. Is Kroger (KR) Stock Trading Around Fair Value Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s proposed acquisition activity is still facing regulatory review, with possible divestitures discussed, which keeps the deal story active but uncertain for investors. Kroger (KR) Awaits Giant Eagle Review As Tempo Starts Cook Never Club
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports of a shooting at a Cypress Kroger location, including critical injuries and an arrest, may weigh on sentiment due to safety concerns and potential reputational damage. Suspect charged after shooting inside Cypress Kroger; security expert shares tips on how to survive a violent situation
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage says Kroger foot traffic has slumped for a third straight month, suggesting softer in-store demand and pressure on near-term sales trends. Kroger foot traffic slumps, analyst says, continuing a three-month trend
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Kroger scrapped most of its Florida Harris Teeter expansion plans also point to slower growth expectations in a key market. Kroger scraps plans for 80 Harris Teeter stores in Florida, except 1

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $58.89 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week 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 50 day moving average price of $61.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.44.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly 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). Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The company had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company 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 an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 82.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on KR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Barclays set a $61.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 1st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.00.

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.