27,514 Shares in The Kroger Co. $KR Purchased by Quantitative Investment Management LLC

Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 27,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,527,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Kroger by 5.4% during the second quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 27,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,551,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 26,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,498,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 17,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 52,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,888,000 after purchasing an additional 3,362 shares during the period. Finally, Field & Main Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $95,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Barclays set a $61.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

Kroger Stock Down 0.4%

KR stock opened at $57.50 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.34. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week 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. The company has a market cap of $35.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 91.76%.

Kroger 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.