Saudi Central Bank Purchases 16,402 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Saudi Central Bank increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 73.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,593 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,402 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,016,956,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $470,561,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,501,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter valued at approximately $195,234,000. Finally, Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth $157,533,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.75.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $58.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $35.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.15 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.92. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 91.76%.

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.