Kroger (NYSE:KR) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Kroger (NYSE:KR) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. 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 -.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kroger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.93.

Kroger Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $67.97 on Thursday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $64.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.85. Kroger has a 52-week low of $58.60 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.94, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.08. Kroger had a return on equity of 38.06% and a net margin of 0.54%.Kroger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 129.63%.

Key Kroger News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kroger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Kroger reported $1.28 EPS vs. $1.20 consensus and highlighted strong eCommerce sales and ROE, giving investors an upside surprise to near-term earnings visibility. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Large buyback authorization — Management cleared a $7.5B repurchase program (including a $5B accelerated buyback) and the board approved an additional $2B, a clear capital-return signal that supports share price. PR Newswire
• Positive Sentiment: eCommerce repositioning — Kroger completed an eCommerce strategic review, forecasting ~$400M in operating-profit improvement in 2026 and pointing to a path to eCommerce profitability alongside ~$16B in eCommerce sales. PR Newswire
• Neutral Sentiment: GAAP vs. adjusted results — Fiscal 2025 included a $2.5B impairment that produced a GAAP loss; adjusted metrics and free cash flow were stronger, so performance needs to be viewed through both lenses. PR Newswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Product innovation — Kroger is expanding private‑label fresh and frozen meal offerings, a modest revenue/margin lever but not an immediate game-changer. Grocery Dive
• Negative Sentiment: Labor and legal risks — Kroger faces two class-action suits alleging e‑commerce manager misclassification and a public clash with the Teamsters that could raise labor costs or disruption risk. Grocery Dive
• Negative Sentiment: Recall and food-safety headlines — Frozen-food recalls affecting Kroger/Trader Joe’s product lines and a glass contamination recall are reputational and operational headwinds that can dent traffic or margins. Yahoo
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures and layoffs — Additional location exits and headcount reductions signal portfolio pruning that may boost near-term cost control but also reflect underlying market/operational challenges. TheStreet

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KR. State Street Corp lifted its holdings 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 position in shares of Kroger by 11.3% during 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 stake in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,242,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,932,000 after acquiring an additional 122,606 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,816,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,879,000 after acquiring an additional 489,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $379,637,000 after acquiring an additional 216,728 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.