The Kroger Co. $KR Stock Purchased by Townsend & Associates Inc

Posted by Stanley Muller on Oct 26th, 2026

Townsend & Associates Inc increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 230,529 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,621 shares during the quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $14,669,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,016,956,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Kroger by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,296,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,878,000 after purchasing an additional 53,625 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Kroger by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,041,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,129,000 after purchasing an additional 876,168 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth $284,501,000. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,332,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,116,000 after buying an additional 506,776 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

Positive Sentiment: Kroger plans to open approximately 110 new stores, lower prices, expand digital capabilities and modernize operations. Management also aims to grow its private-label business to roughly $5 billion, potentially supporting customer retention and higher-margin sales. Kroger Details Growth Strategy to Open 110 Stores, Expand Own Brand to $5B, Modernize Operations
Positive Sentiment: The proposed savings program could improve efficiency and help fund lower prices without relying entirely on sales growth. Planned savings include operational modernization and greater use of technology and artificial intelligence. Kroger’s $4B savings—a closer look
Positive Sentiment: New-store development, including a location with a pharmacy and fuel center in Hockley, Texas, indicates continued investment in Kroger’s physical footprint and customer ecosystem. Kroger to break ground on new store with pharmacy and fuel center in Hockley
Neutral Sentiment: Sell-side analysts continue to show a generally constructive view, with KR receiving a “Moderate Buy” rating; however, the rating does not eliminate concerns about the plan’s execution. The Kroger Co. Stock Rated Moderate Buy
Negative Sentiment: Management acknowledged that Kroger has lost market share to Walmart and Costco. Cutting prices while funding a major investment program may pressure near-term margins, particularly if the projected savings take longer to materialize. Kroger Is Spending $5 Billion to Cut Prices
Negative Sentiment: The strategy involves substantial operational change, including corporate job reductions and reliance on AI. Investors may be concerned about execution risk, employee disruption and whether lower prices will generate enough traffic to offset investment costs. 5 big numbers from Kroger’s Investor Day

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Evercore set a $70.00 target price on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.35.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Kroger

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total transaction of $4,425,090.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 175,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,636,643.10. The trade was a 29.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $66.88 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $54.15 and a 1 year high of $76.58. The company has a market cap of $39.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, September 11th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 49.90% and a net margin of 0.73%. The company had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 5.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.78%.

Kroger Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Kroger Co is a U.S. food and grocery retailer headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883, the company operates supermarkets under banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Harris Teeter and Smith’s, among others.

Kroger’s business includes the sale of fresh food, groceries, general merchandise, household products and health and beauty items. Many of its stores also provide pharmacy services and fuel centers. The company offers digital shopping, pickup and delivery services, loyalty programs and a range of private-label products, including Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger-branded products.

Kroger primarily serves customers across the United States, with stores concentrated in the Midwest, South, West and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.