Sei Investments Co. Acquires 23,157 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,294,289 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,157 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $93,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger Health launched its new GLP-1 Complete Support Program, with dietitians providing guidance for patients using weight-management medications. This could strengthen Kroger’s health-services offering and create a new customer-engagement opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A back-to-school hiring event is seeking to fill hundreds of store jobs across four states, signaling Kroger is still investing in store operations and labor coverage heading into a busy retail period. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s ongoing automation and robotics efforts in Columbus-area stores may support efficiency and long-term margin improvement. Article Title

Kroger Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of KR stock opened at $56.81 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The stock has a market cap of $34.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.39.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. The company’s 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. On average, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s payout ratio is 91.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.