Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 102,069 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,446,910 shares of the company’s stock after selling 102,069 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $104,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on KR shares. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 19th. Barclays set a $61.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group set a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

More Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Traders bought an unusually large number of Kroger call options, suggesting some investors are betting on more upside in the stock. Unusual options trading on Kroger
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is moving forward with its $1.65 billion Giant Eagle deal, a major strategic move that could expand its market presence and boost long-term scale. Kroger progresses on USD 1.65 billion deal to acquire Giant Eagle
• Positive Sentiment: Kroger is also investing in store upgrades, including expanding wine offerings at 147 in-store shops, which may support sales trends and customer traffic. Kroger to upgrade wine selection at 147 in-store shops
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports suggest Kroger may sell some Giant Eagle stores, especially in Columbus, as part of the broader deal. That could help with antitrust or integration issues, but it also signals potential divestitures. Kroger likely to sell some Giant Eagle stores in Columbus
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger reportedly walked back its cage-free egg pledge, which could raise questions about customer trust and ESG commitments. Kroger walks back its cage-free egg pledge

Kroger Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $60.58. The stock had a trading volume of 10,399,209 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,965,760. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $62.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.73. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $37.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 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 return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Kroger’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 82.35%.

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.