Kroger (NYSE:KR) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Kroger (NYSE:KR) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 5.100-5.300 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 5.270. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $71.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 1st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.31.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $58.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.79. Kroger has a 52 week low of $54.15 and a 52 week high of $76.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $57.78 and a 200-day moving average of $63.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 44.33% and a net margin of 0.71%.The business had revenue of $34.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kroger will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 91.76%.

Key Headlines Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kroger reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.09, above the approximately $1.05 analyst consensus and up from $1.04 a year earlier. Operating profit increased to $971 million, while adjusted eCommerce sales grew 20% and Kroger Precision Marketing profit rose 24%. Kroger Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Guidance for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $5.10–$5.30, signaling confidence that cost savings, pharmacy and fuel performance, eCommerce and margin management can offset sluggish sales. Kroger also repurchased $1 billion of stock during the quarter. Kroger gains as profit outlook holds despite softer sales guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicated that some traders were positioning for additional upside following the earnings release.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2% year over year to $34.62 billion but was slightly below estimates. Identical sales excluding fuel increased only 0.2%, reflecting cautious consumer spending and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on pharmacy revenue. Kroger Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Guidance for 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger cut its fiscal-year identical-sales outlook excluding fuel to 0.2%–0.8%, down from 1%–2%. Executives cited inflation, intense grocery competition and strained household budgets, including elevated gasoline costs and reduced government food assistance. Kroger Cuts Sales View Due to Macro Challenges
• Negative Sentiment: A cyclospora outbreak reduced fresh-produce shopping during the quarter, while reports that Boar’s Head meats are disappearing from some stores could create additional deli-sales and customer-retention concerns. Cyclospora outbreak hammers Kroger sales as shoppers avoided produce

Institutional Trading of Kroger

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 41,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,605,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,816,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $425,879,000 after purchasing an additional 489,058 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 354,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,293,000 after buying an additional 35,711 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,371,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,762,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,610,000 after buying an additional 61,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) is one of the largest grocery retailers in the United States. Founded in Cincinnati in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, the company operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel centers across the country.

Kroger sells a broad range of fresh foods, packaged groceries, household products, health and beauty items, prepared foods and general merchandise. Its private-label offerings include Simple Truth, Private Selection and Kroger brands.