The Kroger Co. · KR · FY2025 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2025
Kroger: Strong demand, raised guidance, and execution risks
The supplied analysis supports a constructive operating case for Kroger: resilient demand in pharmacy, fresh and e-commerce, continued Our Brands momentum, raised guidance and investment in stores and productivity. The case depends on converting e-commerce growth and cost initiatives into durable profitability while managing labor, tariff, fuel and cash-flow pressures.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
Compared with the prior-quarter analysis, management raised guidance, reported 3.2% identical-sales growth and 15% e-commerce growth, announced roughly 60 store closures, and added an 80-item Simple Truth protein rollout. Capital allocation is shifting toward new store openings and high-return projects, while price reductions and cost optimization remain central.
Guidance delta
Raised; management raised its identical-sales guidance for the year.
Key takeaways
- Identical sales grew 3.2%, led by pharmacy, fresh and e-commerce.
- E-commerce sales rose 15%, but profitability remains a focus.
- Our Brands outperformed national brands for the seventh consecutive quarter.
- Capital is being reallocated toward new stores and high-return projects.
- About 60 underperforming stores are expected to close over the next 18 months.
Management priorities
- Accelerate new store openings in high-growth areas.
- Launch 80 new Simple Truth protein products.
- Lower prices on an additional 2,000 SKUs.
- Invest in e-commerce technology, fulfillment density and retail media.
- Use AI tools to improve in-stock levels and associate productivity.
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Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 9, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guggenheim | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 15, 2026 |
| Telsey Advisory Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Sep 1, 2026 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jun 22, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Jun 22, 2026 |
| Barclays | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Jun 22, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jun 11, 2026 |
| Roth Capital | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Mar 6, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Equal Weight | Overweight | Downgrade | Feb 25, 2026 |
| Roth MKM | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Sep 17, 2025 |
| Deutsche Bank | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Jun 23, 2025 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Dec 20, 2024 |
| BMO Capital | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Dec 12, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Dec 3, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 22, 2024 |
| Exane BNP Paribas | Underperform | Neutral | Downgrade | Apr 8, 2024 |
| Stephens & Co. | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Dec 1, 2023 |
| Northcoast Research | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Mar 20, 2023 |
| Bernstein | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Dec 6, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Sep 8, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | Sell | Sell | Maintain | Dec 6, 2021 |
| Scotiabank | Sector Outperform | Sector Outperform | Maintain | Sep 14, 2020 |
| MKM Partners | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 30, 2020 |
| CFRA | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Mar 5, 2020 |
| Pivotal Research | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Aug 2, 2019 |
| Bank of America | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 29, 2019 |
| Buckingham Research | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Mar 8, 2019 |
| Buckingham | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Mar 8, 2019 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Aug 20, 2018 |
| Moffett Nathanson | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Dec 4, 2017 |
| Loop Capital | Hold | Hold | Maintain | May 16, 2017 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Sector Perform | Upgrade | Mar 23, 2017 |
| PiperJaffray | Neutral | Underweight | Upgrade | Dec 14, 2016 |
| Piper Sandler | Neutral | Underweight | Upgrade | Dec 14, 2016 |
| SunTrust Robinson Humphrey | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Sep 12, 2016 |
| Oppenheimer | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 24, 2016 |
| Cleveland Research | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Aug 23, 2016 |
| Wolfe Research | Underperform | Peer Perform | Downgrade | Jul 28, 2016 |
| Hilliard Lyons | Buy | Long Term Buy | Maintain | Jun 23, 2016 |
| Macquarie | Underperform | Neutral | Downgrade | Mar 4, 2016 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 12, 2016 |
| Cantor Fitzgerald | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Mar 5, 2015 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $61.28. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNP Paribas | Robert Joyce | $72 | $58.41 | +17.5% | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Melius Research | Analyst unavailable | $80 | $59.69 | +30.5% | Sep 29, 2026 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $75 | $60.73 | +22.4% | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Guggenheim | John Heinbockel | $66 | $60.76 | +7.7% | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Roth Capital | William Kirk | $73 | $58.49 | +19.1% | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $70 | $58.49 | +14.2% | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $68 | $56.95 | +11.0% | Sep 9, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Michael Montani | $78 | $59.56 | +27.3% | Jul 7, 2026 |
| Telsey Advisory | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $56.54 | +27.3% | Jun 22, 2026 |
| UBS | Michael Lasser | $63 | $56.59 | +2.8% | Jun 22, 2026 |
| Guggenheim | Analyst unavailable | $71 | $56.61 | +15.9% | Jun 22, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $58 | $56.61 | -5.4% | Jun 22, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $61 | $56.61 | -0.5% | Jun 22, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Leah Jordan | $82 | $56.61 | +33.8% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $70 | $64.46 | +14.2% | Jun 11, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Scott Marks | $80 | $61.56 | +30.5% | Jun 3, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Michael Montani | $83 | $73.37 | +35.4% | Mar 9, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Scott Marks | $82 | $71.57 | +33.8% | Mar 5, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Simeon Gutman | $73 | $71.57 | +19.1% | Mar 5, 2026 |
| Wolfe Research | Greg Badishkanian | $75 | $71.55 | +22.4% | Mar 5, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Kelly Bania | $70 | $70.09 | +14.2% | Mar 5, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $67 | $62.46 | +9.3% | Jan 15, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $75 | $59.92 | +22.4% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $68 | $59.28 | +11.0% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $72 | $62.83 | +17.5% | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $80 | $63.4 | +30.5% | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $77 | $63.35 | +25.7% | Dec 5, 2025 |
| UBS | Michael Lasser | $70 | $63.36 | +14.2% | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Wells Fargo | Edward Kelly | $70 | $63.14 | +14.2% | Dec 4, 2025 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $82 | $67.28 | +33.8% | Dec 1, 2025 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $73 | $66.81 | +19.1% | Nov 26, 2025 |
| Guggenheim | John Heinbockel | $78 | $67.38 | +27.3% | Nov 19, 2025 |
| Argus Research | Analyst unavailable | $85 | $66.32 | +38.7% | Sep 18, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Analyst unavailable | $83 | $74 | +35.4% | Jun 23, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $76 | $74 | +24.0% | Jun 23, 2025 |
| Guggenheim | John Heinbockel | $73 | $70.74 | +19.1% | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Roth Capital | Analyst unavailable | $58 | $63.78 | -5.4% | Mar 6, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $73 | $60.15 | +19.1% | Dec 3, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $54 | $55.2 | -11.9% | Sep 12, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Michael Montani | $62 | $54.2 | +1.2% | Sep 12, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Chris Graja | $72 | $54.86 | +17.5% | Jul 22, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Vijay Jayant | $92 | $50.27 | +50.1% | Jun 24, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Simeon Gutman | $57 | $50.21 | -7.0% | Jun 24, 2024 |
| BMO Capital | Kelly Bania | $60 | $51.98 | -2.1% | Jun 18, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $53 | $51.28 | -13.5% | Jun 11, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Edward Kelly | $65 | $55.36 | +6.1% | Apr 16, 2024 |
| Northcoast Research | Chuck Cerankosky | $60 | $47.28 | -2.1% | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $55 | $46.17 | -10.2% | Jun 9, 2023 |
| Bernstein | Analyst unavailable | $58 | $46.07 | -5.4% | Dec 6, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $55 | $46.14 | -10.2% | Dec 5, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $44 | $47.57 | -28.2% | Dec 5, 2022 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $54 | $48 | -11.9% | Dec 2, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $56 | $49.05 | -8.6% | Nov 29, 2022 |
| Evercore ISI | Michael Montani | $56 | $47.12 | -8.6% | Nov 9, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $43 | $50.5 | -29.8% | Sep 12, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $41 | $49.82 | -33.1% | Jun 17, 2022 |
| Bank of America Securities | Robert Ohmes | $75 | $50.39 | +22.4% | Jun 14, 2022 |
| Oppenheimer | Rupesh Parikh | $54 | $50.43 | -11.9% | Jun 9, 2022 |
| Guggenheim | Analyst unavailable | $57 | $52.54 | -7.0% | Jun 6, 2022 |
| Bank of America Securities | Buy | $75 | $58.32 | +22.4% | Apr 14, 2022 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $62 | $55.71 | +1.2% | Mar 8, 2022 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $60 | $58.94 | -2.1% | Mar 5, 2022 |
| BMO Capital | Kelly Bania | $57 | $58.94 | -7.0% | Mar 4, 2022 |
| Stephens | Ben Bienvenu | $57 | $58.94 | -7.0% | Mar 4, 2022 |
| Jefferies | Matthew Fishbein | $43 | $55.1 | -29.8% | Mar 3, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Edward Kelly | $47 | $55.1 | -23.3% | Mar 3, 2022 |
| Wolfe Research | Spencer Hanus | $52 | $44.9 | -15.1% | Feb 3, 2022 |
| Citigroup | Paul Lejuez | $42 | $43.27 | -31.5% | Jan 28, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Edward Kelly | $42 | $45.08 | -31.5% | Jan 25, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Simeon Gutman | $38 | $45.37 | -38.0% | Dec 14, 2021 |
| Telsey Advisory | Joseph Feldman | $47 | $45.11 | -23.3% | Dec 6, 2021 |
| Guggenheim | John Heinbockel | $49 | $43.23 | -20.0% | Dec 3, 2021 |
| MKM Partners | William Kirk | $48 | $43.23 | -21.7% | Dec 3, 2021 |
| Northcoast Research | Chuck Cerankosky | $46 | $39.26 | -24.9% | Jun 22, 2021 |
| Oppenheimer | Rupesh Parikh | $40 | $38.62 | -34.7% | Jun 17, 2021 |
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Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationThe Kroger Co. functions as a significant retail entity throughout the United States, encompassing a varied collection of store formats. Its operations include integrated food and drug stores, which stock a broad range of products from natural and organic sections to pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce. The company also runs multi-department stores that broaden their offerings to include apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living goods, electronics, automotive products, and toys.…
Historical context
All KR earningsConsumer Defensive peers this season
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| LW Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. | FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +27.8% | +7.5% | Lamb Weston raises FY2027 outlook as North America volume growth continues |
| MKC McCormick & Company, Incorporated | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +13.9% | -4.9% | McCormick reports strong Q3 growth while U.S. volumes remain soft |
| CAG Conagra Brands, Inc. | FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +44.4% | -4.9% | Conagra maintains outlook while increasing brand investment and simplifying SKUs |
| COST Costco Wholesale Corporation | FY2026 Q4 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +3.2% | +2.9% | Costco’s growth broadens as warehouses and digital sales accelerate |
Latest beats and misses
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:55.686058+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-09T18:10:45.370042+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-09T18:10:45.367296+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-09. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.