Royal Bank of Canada Has $171.05 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Posted by George Bondi on Jul 31st, 2026

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 19.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,363,819 shares of the company’s stock after selling 584,500 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Kroger were worth $171,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 268.1% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Finally, Barclays set a $61.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Kroger

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

Positive Sentiment: Kroger is expanding its store footprint, including a planned replacement store in Dunwoody, Georgia, and a roughly $40 million location in Little Elm, Texas. These investments could support long-term sales growth and market share. Dunwoody approves new Kroger store Kroger spends $40 million on new Little Elm store
Positive Sentiment: A grocery price study ranked Kroger ahead of Walmart, Aldi and Albertsons, potentially reinforcing its value proposition as consumers remain price-sensitive. Kroger tops grocery price study
Positive Sentiment: The company introduced an AI shopping assistant for meal planning, which could improve personalization, digital engagement and customer retention. Kroger debuts AI shopping assistant
Neutral Sentiment: Broader investor interest is moving toward natural and health-focused food retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market, United Natural Foods and Simply Good Foods. The trend may benefit grocery demand generally, but no specific Kroger earnings impact was reported. Natural foods stocks gain
Negative Sentiment: A consumer group cited approximately 1,700 complaints alleging pricing discrepancies at Kroger stores. If substantiated, the issue could create reputational, regulatory and margin risks. Consumer group pricing discrepancy claims
Negative Sentiment: Costco’s highly competitive, membership-driven gasoline model highlights pressure on traditional grocers’ fuel-loyalty programs and customer economics. This is an industry competitive concern rather than a direct Kroger announcement. How Costco engineered the perfect gas station

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $57.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.38. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $54.15 and a 52-week high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.35%.

Kroger Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.