Kroger Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:KR)

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 20,697 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 53% compared to the typical daily volume of 13,485 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Kroger by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,367,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,249,307,000 after purchasing an additional 12,652,261 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in 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 during the period. GQG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in 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 period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is investing roughly $112M in central Ohio for new stores and renovations and is hiring for multiple new locations, supporting revenue growth and market share gains from physical expansion. Kroger invests $112 million in central Ohio, including two new stores
• Positive Sentiment: Local hiring pushes (250 jobs at an East Noblesville superstore) reflect capacity build-out and localized demand support. Kroger’s East Noblesville Superstore Hiring Spree Puts 250 Jobs On The Table
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts/columnists argue Kroger looks attractively valued vs. competitors, which could support upside if fundamentals continue to improve. As A Stock, Walmart Offers Poor Value While Kroger Is Priced At A Discount
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s recent quarter beat EPS estimates while revenue slightly missed; management set FY2026 guidance of $5.10–$5.30 EPS, a key driver for medium‑term expectations. Non-Discretionary Retail Stocks Q4 Results: Benchmarking Kroger (NYSE:KR)
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger refunded $1.4M to Groveland related to city projects/infrastructure — a small near-term cash outlay but signals local compliance and community engagement. Kroger refunds $1.4M to Groveland for city projects, infrastructure upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Wider rollout of digital price tags (with Walmart) could enable dynamic pricing and margin management long term, but has sparked short‑term consumer/pricing concerns. Walmart and Kroger Roll Out Digital Price Tags, Sparking Surge Pricing Fears
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger is named in a large frozen-food recall (part of ~37M pounds recalled across brands), raising short-term cost, supply-chain disruption and reputational risk. Trader Joe’s, Kroger named in 37M pounds of recalled frozen food
• Negative Sentiment: Several local crime incidents at Kroger stores (shooting, assaults) add reputational and potential liability concerns for store operations. Runaway teen arrested in attempted bathroom assault at Kroger

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $1.16 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.72. 3,410,620 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,161,828. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $68.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.26. The stock has a market cap of $44.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.21, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. Kroger has a one year low of $58.60 and a one year high of $76.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 0.69%.The company had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Kroger’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Barclays reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Eight equities research 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.56.

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.