Kroger (NYSE:KR) Reaches New 12-Month Low Following Weak Earnings

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as low as $56.80 and last traded at $57.7690, with a volume of 406438 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $61.82.

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 0.69% and a return on equity of 41.08%. The firm had revenue of $46.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Kroger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger beat Wall Street’s sales estimate with revenue of about $46.1 billion, helped by steady demand for groceries and essentials, stronger delivery services, and continued e-commerce growth. Reuters: Kroger beats quarterly sales estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company maintained its full-year 2026 guidance, which suggests management still sees its outlook as intact despite a cautious consumer environment. PR Newswire: Kroger Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Identical sales excluding fuel rose 1.0%, and adjusted eCommerce sales grew 19%, showing that Kroger’s core grocery business and digital channels are still expanding. PR Newswire: Kroger Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarter was broadly in line with expectations overall, with adjusted EPS of $1.58 versus the $1.59 consensus, a small miss that still signaled relatively stable profitability. Zacks: Kroger Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are being hit by concerns that Kroger’s price cuts to win shoppers back may compress margins, especially after management signaled heavier investment in pricing. Yahoo Finance: Kroger meets earnings expectations, revenue tops estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of the report was cautious, with recent headlines emphasizing weaker food sales trends and margin risk, adding to the negative pre-earnings tone. Quiver Quantitative: Why Kroger shares are falling today

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on KR. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, March 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.67.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 6,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FinArc Investments Inc. bought a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,616,000. Finally, Royal Fund Management LLC raised its position in Kroger by 86.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 50,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,654,000 after purchasing an additional 23,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $35.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.48.

About Kroger

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.