Gabelli Funds LLC Reduces Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 36.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 128,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,700 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 56,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,807,000 after acquiring an additional 16,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 11.5% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 97,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,978,000 after buying an additional 10,051 shares during the period. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $1,840,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 0.1%

KR stock opened at $56.81 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.15 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $60.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.44.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 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. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.35%.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger Health launched its new GLP-1 Complete Support Program, with dietitians providing guidance for patients using weight-management medications. This could strengthen Kroger’s health-services offering and create a new customer-engagement opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A back-to-school hiring event is seeking to fill hundreds of store jobs across four states, signaling Kroger is still investing in store operations and labor coverage heading into a busy retail period. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger’s ongoing automation and robotics efforts in Columbus-area stores may support efficiency and long-term margin improvement. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group set a $63.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

About Kroger

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.