Kroger (NYSE:KR) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kroger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.31.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR opened at $56.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The firm has a market cap of $34.84 billion, a PE ratio of 33.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.41. Kroger has a 12 month low of $54.15 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $57.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.69.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The company reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $46.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.59 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 0.71% and a return on equity of 44.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.30 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Kroger will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Kroger

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Digital and retail-media momentum remained strong. Adjusted eCommerce sales grew 20%, while Kroger Precision Marketing profit increased 24%, supporting the company’s higher-margin growth initiatives. Kroger Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Guidance for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability exceeded the anticipated adjusted EPS result. Kroger reported adjusted EPS of $1.09, versus the $1.05 expectation cited ahead of the release, and adjusted FIFO operating profit of $1.076 billion. Kroger Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Guidance for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Core sales were nearly flat. Identical sales excluding fuel rose just 0.2%, indicating limited underlying traffic or volume growth despite continued grocery demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Full-year EPS guidance was set at $5.10-$5.30, with a midpoint of $5.20 below the $5.27 consensus estimate. This leaves limited room for upside and reinforces concerns about cautious consumer spending, pharmacy headwinds and rising operating costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Pre-release positioning had been cautious. Several analysts had reduced price targets, while options pricing implied potential post-earnings weakness. Kroger’s stock has also lagged the broader market over the past year, increasing investor sensitivity to execution and forward guidance.
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion provides a longer-term growth catalyst. Kroger is planning a new North Texas Marketplace location, continuing grocery investment in a growing regional market. Kroger planning new store in North Texas

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 299.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,420,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,721 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its stake in Kroger by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 4,445,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453,966 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 13,398,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $837,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360,946 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Kroger by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,434,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,593,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,544,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186,757 shares in 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.