Kroger Company (The) (KR) Stock Price & How to Invest

Kroger is one of the largest grocery retailers in the United States, operating thousands of supermarkets and multi-department stores under banners such as Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, and Harris Teeter, alongside pharmacies, fuel centers, and a large private-label portfolio. It is a classic consumer-staples business: people buy groceries in every economic climate, which makes revenue relatively defensive, but margins are thin and the company competes on scale, supply-chain efficiency, and price against Walmart, Costco, and Amazon. In recent years Kroger has leaned into higher-margin growth engines, including its digital and e-commerce operations, its Kroger Precision Marketing retail-media advertising business, and its own consumer brands, to lift profitability above the razor-thin economics of selling food.

The defining recent event was the collapse of Kroger's roughly $25 billion proposed merger with Albertsons. Federal courts in Oregon and Washington blocked the deal in December 2024, Albertsons then terminated the agreement and sued Kroger in Delaware, seeking a $600 million termination fee plus damages, and that litigation remained unresolved into 2026. Leadership also changed: longtime CEO Rodney McMullen resigned in March 2025 following a board investigation into personal conduct, Ron Sargent served as interim CEO, and the board appointed Greg Foran as permanent CEO in February 2026. For fiscal 2025 Kroger reported identical sales without fuel up about 2.9% and adjusted earnings per share of roughly $4.85, and it guided 2026 adjusted EPS of about $5.10 to $5.30 with strong free cash flow, while continuing its dividend and buybacks.

The central risk is intense competition and thin margins: Kroger sells food at low profit rates and competes on price against much larger Walmart, warehouse clubs like Costco, and Amazon, which limits pricing power. Food-price deflation or inflation, labor costs, and unionized workforce dynamics can pressure margins in either direction. The abandoned Albertsons merger left open litigation, with Albertsons seeking a $600 million termination fee plus damages, an unresolved overhang. Leadership turnover after the former CEO's resignation adds execution uncertainty as a new chief executive sets strategy. Growth is structurally slow, so a valuation re-rating depends on the higher-margin businesses delivering. Consumer spending shifts, e-commerce fulfillment costs, and regulatory scrutiny of grocery pricing add further pressure.

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Kroger Company (The)'s investor relations page or your broker.

• Business profile: One of the largest US grocers, with tens of billions in annual sales across thousands of supermarkets, pharmacies, and fuel centers
• Fiscal 2025 same-store sales: Identical sales without fuel up about 2.9%, reflecting steady grocery demand
• Fiscal 2025 adjusted EPS: About $4.85 on an adjusted basis; GAAP EPS was lower at roughly $1.54 on merger-related and other items
• 2026 adjusted EPS guidance: Roughly $5.10 to $5.30, per company guidance
• 2026 free cash flow (guidance): About $2.7 billion to $2.9 billion, supporting dividends and buybacks
• Capital return: Pays a growing quarterly dividend and runs share repurchases; profitable and cash-generative

These figures are approximate and tied to the July 2026 asOf date; verify live numbers, current guidance, and the latest declared dividend before making any decision. As a mature grocer, Kroger typically trades at a modest earnings multiple that reflects slow growth and thin margins, so total return leans heavily on dividends, buybacks, and margin improvement from its higher-margin businesses. None of this is investment advice.

There are three common ways to get KR exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so KR sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where KR fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.

Kroger is a large, defensive grocery retailer that generates steady cash flow and returns it through dividends and buybacks. After a blocked Albertsons merger and a CEO transition, the story is execution and capital return, not rapid growth. The question is how a slow-growing staples name fits your portfolio.