Kroger (NYSE:KR) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Kroger (NYSE:KR) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 5.100-5.300 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 5.000. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.19.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $71.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $65.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.89. Kroger has a 52 week low of $58.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $45.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.31, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.The company had revenue of $34.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 129.63%.

Kroger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 profit beat and margin strength — Kroger reported adjusted EPS above expectations and improved operating margins driven by sourcing gains; management also flagged 20% e‑commerce growth, which helped the beat. Kroger Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: New CEO sets a value play — Greg Foran’s first public comments emphasize lower in‑store prices, better deals, faster e‑commerce and AI to drive sales and market share; investors are treating this as a credible operational reset. New Kroger CEO Greg Foran outlines top priorities
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded capital returns — the board approved an extra $2B repurchase authorization (on top of recent ASR activity), supporting EPS leverage and signaling shareholder-friendly management. Kroger Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Telsey raised its price target and the consensus analyst sentiment sits around “Moderate Buy,” which helps underpin the rally. Benzinga: Telsey raises price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Cautious FY26 outlook — Kroger set FY26 adjusted EPS guidance slightly above consensus ( $5.10–$5.30 ) but gave conservative sales guidance; investors view guidance as balanced — supportive on EPS but cautious on top‑line growth. MarketWatch: Guidance and sales misses
• Neutral Sentiment: E‑commerce strategic review — management says the e‑commerce review should deliver ~ $400M of operating profit improvement in 2026, a positive structural step but one that will take time to fully materialize. PR Newswire: eCommerce review
• Negative Sentiment: Product recall risk — frozen food recall (Ajinomoto product sold at Kroger/Trader Joe’s in Illinois) for glass contamination poses a reputational and potential short‑term cost issue. IndyStar: Ajinomoto recall
• Negative Sentiment: Operational cuts and closures — Kroger is closing Little Clinic locations and has shuttered underperforming stores/laid-off staff in some markets; these actions reduce costs but also signal restructuring headwinds. Yahoo: Kroger closing Little Clinic locations
• Negative Sentiment: Labor and legal risks — union tensions and class‑action suits over e‑commerce worker classification create ongoing downside risk and potential litigation costs. GroceryDive: e‑commerce lawsuits

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. State Street Corp lifted its position in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,948,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,153,622,000 after purchasing an additional 386,503 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,113,000 after buying an additional 1,360,946 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,932,000 after buying an additional 122,606 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Kroger by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,816,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,879,000 after buying an additional 489,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,076,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,637,000 after acquiring an additional 216,728 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.