New York State Teachers Retirement System Trims Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 620,667 shares of the company’s stock after selling 56,211 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Kroger were worth $41,839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in shares of Kroger by 102.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 168,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,079,000 after buying an additional 85,223 shares in the last quarter. Monument Capital Management purchased a new position in Kroger in the second quarter worth approximately $2,901,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in Kroger by 2,313.4% during the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 138,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,964,000 after acquiring an additional 133,159 shares in the last quarter. Advocate Group LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 121,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,707,000 after purchasing an additional 17,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $480,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $59.52 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $63.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.26. The stock has a market cap of $37.66 billion, a PE ratio of 55.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $58.12 and a 52-week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $33.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.27 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The firm’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.750-4.800 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Argus set a $85.00 price objective on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.19.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger completed the sale of Vitacost to iHerb to streamline operations, preserve its 2025 guidance, and refocus on core grocery and margin improvement — management portrays the deal as part of a strategic review to simplify the business. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: iHerb says the Vitacost acquisition strengthens its U.S. business in vitamins/minerals/supplements — the buyer’s strategic rationale increases the likelihood of a smooth transition and reduces execution risk for Kroger. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and options traders showed bullish signals: Deutsche Bank upgraded KR from Hold to Buy with a $75 target, and there was unusually high call‑option volume — both indicate upside conviction among some institutional and derivatives traders. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer‑facing initiatives continue: Kroger launched a “Verified Savings” program and targeted discounts for SNAP/WIC/Medicaid shoppers and debuted checkout features highlighting customer savings — moves that may help traffic, loyalty and comps in a tight consumer spending environment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Store-level experiments: a proposed State Street remodel includes an in‑store Dunkin’ — incremental non‑grocery partnerships can boost traffic but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: outlets rank grocery chains (where Kroger appears) and competitor valuation stories (e.g., Albertsons) are circulating — useful for relative valuation but not an immediate company catalyst. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger will close about 60 stores as part of a post‑merger refocus on stronger markets — the planned closures signal ongoing restructuring and cost but raise near‑term execution and severance costs and reduce store count. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/PR hit: a Kroger store in Orion Township remained closed after inspectors found rodent evidence — localized food‑safety incidents can pressure traffic and require remediation spend and invite short‑term negative headlines. Read More.

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.