Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for Kroger Q3 Earnings

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) – Research analysts at Telsey Advisory Group lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Kroger in a note issued to investors on Thursday, September 11th. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now expects that the company will earn $1.03 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.05. Telsey Advisory Group has a “Outperform” rating and a $82.00 price target 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 $1.22 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.65 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.14 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.26 EPS.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on KR. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Roth Capital lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.58.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $66.74 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $70.25 and its 200-day moving average is $68.93. Kroger has a 52-week low of $54.56 and a 52-week high of $74.90. The company has a market cap of $44.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.59.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IFC Advisors LLC raised its position in Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cairn Investment Group Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 0.3% during the second quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,225,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 49,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,642,274.40. The trade was a 25.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 35.53%.

About Kroger

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.