Conning Inc. Acquires 74,183 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Posted by Stanley Muller on Oct 29th, 2026

Conning Inc. raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 665,708 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 74,183 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for about 1.2% of Conning Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $39,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 37,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,188,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank bought a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $414,000. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 136.7% during the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 22,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,404,000 after purchasing an additional 12,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp lifted its holdings in Kroger by 49.8% during the 3rd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Adcock sold 72,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $4,425,090.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on KR. UBS Group set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Melius Research set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price target (down from $61.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.35.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on KR

Trending Headlines about Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

Positive Sentiment: Major expansion planned: Kroger intends to add approximately 110 stores by 2029, using three new formats that could broaden its reach and support sales growth. Several new-store projects, including a planned 100,000-square-foot location, are also advancing. Kroger Plots 110 New Stores by 2029
Positive Sentiment: $5 billion customer-value investment: Kroger plans to invest in lower everyday prices and simpler promotions. The strategy may improve customer loyalty and competitiveness over time, although it could require significant near-term spending. Kroger To Invest $5B In Customer Value
Positive Sentiment: New products and merchandising initiatives: Kroger is adding Burger King’s seasonal pretzel burger bun and is promoting highly rated exclusive wines, while a holiday fresh-herb program expands supplier activity ahead of the key shopping season. These developments are modest positives for traffic and product differentiation. Kroger wines earn elite scores
Neutral Sentiment: E-commerce transformation: Kroger is pursuing a “fresh, fast and personal” digital strategy, potentially improving online grocery economics and customer engagement, but the articles provide no financial targets or evidence of immediate earnings impact. Kroger Maps E-Commerce Transformation
Negative Sentiment: Market-share concerns: A report described additional bad news for Kroger’s market share, reinforcing worries that Walmart, Costco and other price-focused competitors are taking customers. Kroger receives more bad news with market share
Negative Sentiment: Competitive and reputational risks: Coverage of rivals’ lower-price strategies, Kroger’s proposed data-collection practices and a reported $17 million unfair-pricing settlement add pressure to the company’s brand and profitability outlook. Kroger unfair pricing settlement

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $65.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.33, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $54.15 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $60.24 and its 200-day moving average is $63.53.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.78%.

About Kroger

(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.