Nordea Investment Management AB Raises Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,204,987 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 524,768 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned approximately 0.82% of Kroger worth $325,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,249,307,000 after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in 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 during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $518,267,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 15.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,327,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $426,515,000 after buying an additional 865,559 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 66.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 5,255,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,245,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100,444 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore set a $77.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.56.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is rolling out Dunkin’ kiosks inside stores (Michigan rollout noted; Houston-area locations also adding kiosks). In-store foodservice tie-ins can boost foot traffic, basket size and convenience positioning. Kroger store in Michigan now has a Dunkin’ kiosk, and more are on the way Houston-area Kroger grocery stores adding Dunkin’ kiosks
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger will carry an exclusive 7Up flavor in 2026—an example of product differentiation and exclusive merchandising that can drive incremental sales and private-label/partner margins. Kroger home to exclusive 7Up flavor in 2026. Here’s what’s coming
• Positive Sentiment: A competitor (longstanding regional chain) is continuing store closures into 2026, which could create market-share opportunities for large, well-capitalized operators like Kroger in affected markets. 111-year-old grocery chain closing more stores in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Local community and CSR activity: Kroger hosted a Shop to Stop Hunger event in Staunton—positive for brand and community relations but limited direct impact on near-term earnings. Community gathers for Shop to Stop Hunger event at Kroger in Staunton
• Neutral Sentiment: Local planning concerns: a new Kroger opening near a Smyrna school raised traffic/safety complaints—possible short-term PR and permitting noise but unlikely material to corporate financials. ‘An accident waiting to happen’: New Kroger opening next to Smyrna school sparks traffic and safety concerns
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive pricing context: a consumer comparison piece contrasts Thrive Market prices with Kroger and Whole Foods—useful for positioning but not an immediate earnings driver. Is Thrive Market cheaper? I compared prices to Kroger and Whole Foods
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger issued a nationwide recall update and customer warnings on certain products—recalls can raise short-term costs, shrink margins and hurt customer trust depending on scope. Kroger nationwide recall update: Customers issued warnings over products
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment cooled: Seeking Alpha summarized a downgrade to Hold citing limited growth drivers—downgrades can pressure the stock and investor expectations. Kroger: Limited Growth Drivers, Downgraded To Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Local personnel controversy: a former manager alleges he was fired after intervening to protect an elderly coworker from shoplifters—potential reputational risk if escalated. Former Kroger manager in DeKalb says he was fired for protecting elderly co-worker from shoplifters

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $73.25 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.21. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.88, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be 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 is Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Kroger 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.