Kroger (NYSE:KR) Upgraded by Roth Capital to Buy Rating

Roth Capital upgraded shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $75.00 price objective on the stock. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Kroger’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.06 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.23 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.83 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.61 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.18 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.36 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.31 EPS.

KR has been the subject of several other research reports. Melius raised Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price objective (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Melius Research raised Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $72.70.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $65.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $43.37 billion, a PE ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. Kroger has a 12 month low of $54.83 and a 12 month high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.Kroger’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 in the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its position in Kroger by 6,840.0% during the 2nd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in Kroger by 10,425.0% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.