Kroger (NYSE:KR) Upgraded at Roth Capital

Roth Capital upgraded shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $75.00 target price on the stock. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Kroger’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.06 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.23 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.83 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.61 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.18 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.36 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.31 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.70.

Kroger Stock Down 0.5%

Kroger stock opened at $65.63 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Kroger has a 1-year low of $54.83 and a 1-year high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $43.37 billion, a PE ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $69.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.95.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.The firm had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.53%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $272,834.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total value of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $2,444,000. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 104,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,402,000 after acquiring an additional 32,837 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,363,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,156,000 after acquiring an additional 865,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.