Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 21,521 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KRFree Report) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 190,170 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,521 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $11,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in Kroger by 182.8% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,127 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 3,314 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 21,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. Elgethun Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Elgethun Capital Management now owns 79,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,960,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 5,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 159,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,947,000 after acquiring an additional 49,453 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of KR stock opened at $63.59 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $58.60 and a 12-month high of $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KRGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a net margin of 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm had revenue of $34.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.73.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Kroger

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Kroger is promoting its new limited-time “All-American Ice Cream Collection” and giving away 100,000 free pints for the summer solstice, a marketing push that could lift traffic and reinforce customer engagement. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports noted new or upcoming Kroger Marketplace openings and development progress in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, signaling continued store expansion and local market investment. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and local-news pieces highlighted the ice cream giveaway and store openings, but these are largely promotional updates rather than material financial catalysts. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Kroger agreed to a $2.5 million DOJ settlement over alleged Clean Air Act emissions violations, which adds a legal and compliance overhang even if the dollar amount is relatively small. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: A report suggesting Kroger may lose more executives could raise concerns about management turnover and continuity. Article Title

About Kroger

(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.

Further Reading

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Kroger (NYSE:KR)

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