California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 8.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 695,810 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60,883 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.11% of Kroger worth $50,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. ROI Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 2.0% in the first quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 222,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,480 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $460,000. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 571.2% in the 1st quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP now owns 148,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,752,000 after purchasing an additional 126,456 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories 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
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on KR
Kroger Stock Performance
Shares of KR stock opened at $57.97 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $60.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.38. 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 Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The firm has a market cap of $35.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.44.
Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current year.
Kroger Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.35%.
Kroger Company 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.
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