Q1 EPS Estimates for Kroger Boosted by Telsey Advisory Group

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) – Telsey Advisory Group boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Kroger in a research note issued on Monday, December 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now anticipates that the company will earn $1.59 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.51. Telsey Advisory Group has a “Outperform” rating and a $70.00 price objective 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $1.09 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $1.15 EPS.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Guggenheim started coverage on Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.79.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $61.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50-day moving average is $59.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.38. Kroger has a 1 year low of $44.48 and a 1 year high of $63.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 217,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 202,370 shares of company stock valued at $12,530,170. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.