Roth Capital Issues Negative Estimate for Kroger Earnings

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) – Equities researchers at Roth Capital decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Kroger in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, March 6th. Roth Capital analyst W. Kirk now forecasts that the company will earn $1.47 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.49. The consensus estimate for Kroger’s current full-year earnings is $4.44 per share. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Kroger’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.97 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.05 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.21 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.72 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

Kroger Stock Down 1.7 %

KR stock opened at $66.56 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $62.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.25. Kroger has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $48.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 53,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. The trade was a 45.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 292,813 shares of company stock valued at $19,131,375. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.