Vestcor Inc Trims Stake in The Kroger Co. $KR

Vestcor Inc cut its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 351,428 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,994 shares during the period. Kroger comprises 0.7% of Vestcor Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $23,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 87.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 445 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.38.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $74.31 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.62. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.10 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

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.