The Kroger Co. $KR Shares Sold by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP trimmed its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,920,677 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,549,346 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 2.76% of Kroger worth $939,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $3,016,956,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,153,622,000 after acquiring an additional 386,503 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $837,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360,946 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after acquiring an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $470,561,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $57.73 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.45. The firm has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.43. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current 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 $0.39 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.76%.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger announced its 2026 Wellness Tour, with September in-store and community events intended to increase customer engagement and reinforce the company’s health-and-wellness offerings. The initiative is strategically positive, though its near-term financial impact is likely limited. Kroger Wellness Tour announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity, with purchases more than double the typical daily volume, suggests increased bullish speculative interest. However, options activity does not guarantee sustained buying in the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Murray’s Cheese, a Kroger brand, expanded its premium cave-aged collection to select Harris Teeter stores in Charlotte. The launch supports product differentiation and potentially higher-margin sales but is unlikely to materially affect companywide results. Murray’s Cheese Harris Teeter launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s recent earnings showed revenue growth and earnings ahead of the prior-year period, but earnings per share narrowly missed estimates. Management’s fiscal-year EPS guidance remains a key factor for investors assessing whether the current valuation is justified.
• Negative Sentiment: Industry data indicated Kroger’s foot traffic declined in July as the broader supermarket sector also struggled. Persistent traffic weakness could pressure comparable sales and raise concerns about consumer demand. Kroger July foot traffic report
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to pay $17 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging prescription-drug pricing practices. The cash cost is manageable relative to Kroger’s size, but the settlement adds legal expense and reputational risk. Kroger prescription pricing settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Sony Music sued Kroger over alleged unauthorized use of songs in social-media advertising, creating another potential legal liability. The financial impact is uncertain, but the lawsuit adds to investor concerns following the pharmacy settlement. Sony Music lawsuit against Kroger

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. Citigroup cut their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.00.

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.