The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP decreased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 599,833 shares of the company’s stock after selling 48,313 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Kroger were worth $43,404,000 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. Allstate Corp boosted its stake in Kroger by 108.5% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,998,000 after buying an additional 24,976 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 868,529 shares during the period. Conning Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 10,178.7% in the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 507,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,706,000 after acquiring an additional 502,522 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Kroger by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 894,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,946,000 after acquiring an additional 209,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,299,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $59.94 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $60.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.39. The company has a market cap of $36.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.44. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 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 business had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 82.35%.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger launched an AI Shopping Assistant that creates meal plans and digital shopping carts based on customers’ budgets, dietary needs, recipes, shopping lists and online links. The back-to-school timing could support engagement, digital sales and customer retention. Kroger Helps Families Simplify Back-to-Routine Season with Fresh, Convenient Meals and a Smarter Way to Shop
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger and Instacart reportedly generated higher retail-media returns on investment than Amazon. Stronger advertising economics could help Kroger monetize shopper data and loyalty activity while supporting margins.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s recognition for award-winning Murray’s cheeses may reinforce its premium-food positioning and differentiate its stores, although the direct financial impact is likely limited. Kroger wins big with these award-winning Murray’s cheeses
• Neutral Sentiment: The AI launch is strategically promising, but investors will need evidence that adoption increases basket size, shopping frequency or digital profitability rather than merely adding technology costs. Kroger Helps Families Simplify Back-to-Routine Season with Fresh, Convenient Meals and a Smarter Way to Shop
• Negative Sentiment: Numerator data indicated that Kroger and Albertsons lost grocery-market share over the past year, while Costco, Amazon and Walmart gained share. This points to persistent competitive pressure on traffic, pricing power and margins. Kroger and Albertsons continue to see their market share contract
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger reportedly delayed its cage-free egg target after previously promising to reach it by 2025. The reversal could create reputational risk with customers and sustainability-focused investors, while potentially signaling higher implementation costs or supply constraints. Kroger promised cage-free eggs by 2025. It quietly pushed back the goal

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.