Telsey Advisory Group Reduces Earnings Estimates for Kroger

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) – Equities researchers at Telsey Advisory Group dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Kroger in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.44 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.56. Telsey Advisory Group currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Kroger’s current full-year earnings is $4.44 per share. Telsey Advisory Group also issued estimates for Kroger’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.14 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on KR. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.94.

Kroger Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE KR opened at $67.57 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.40 and a 200-day moving average of $59.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. Kroger has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $68.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,366.08. The trade was a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend 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.