Meyer Handelman Co. Increases Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Meyer Handelman Co. raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 152,207 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,726 shares during the period. Meyer Handelman Co.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $11,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KR. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,169,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,546,000 after purchasing an additional 868,529 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 12,652,261 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after purchasing an additional 386,503 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Kroger by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,932,000 after purchasing an additional 122,606 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger raised its quarterly dividend by 11% to an annualized $1.56 per share, marking its 20th straight year of dividend increases and signaling confidence in cash flow and earnings power. Kroger’s Board of Directors Raises Quarterly Dividend by 11%
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its rewards program so customers can now use points for discounts on groceries in-store and online, not just fuel, which could help strengthen loyalty and drive traffic. Kroger Rewards Program Expands with New Ways to Save
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger continues to gain shelf space for exclusive and private-label items, including a limited-time M&M’s flavor, which supports higher-margin merchandising and differentiation. Kroger the only place to get limited M&M’s flavor
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and industry coverage continue to point to Kroger’s digital growth, retail media, and private-label efforts as potential long-term positives, but these are being balanced by margin pressure and execution concerns. Kroger Stock Is Tied to Retail Media, Private Label, and Value Trends
• Neutral Sentiment: New commentary suggests consumers are spending less on snacks and beef as inflation weighs on budgets, which reinforces the view that shoppers are value-conscious and could keep pressure on grocery spending patterns. Customers are spending less on snacks and beef amid inflation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analysis and earnings-call coverage highlight persistent concerns about rising operating costs, weaker profitability, and inconsistent store execution, which may be limiting investor enthusiasm for KR despite revenue growth. Kroger Stock Outlook Hinges on Digital Growth & Private-Label Strength

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.94.

Kroger Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $57.76 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $64.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.11. The company has a market capitalization of $35.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.42. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $55.60 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.Kroger’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 82.35%.

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.