KR Investment Analysis Report & Stock Research, The Kroger Company

The Kroger Company (KR)

KR Stock Report

2-Year Price History

View Larger KR Chart
NYSE:KR
$21.37
(2/9 1:58PM)
+1.1%
Open$21.4 Mkt Cap$13.7 Billion
High$21.41 52Wk High$24.80
Low$21.14 52Wk Low$19.39
Volume3.5 Million Avg Vol 10D7.2 Million

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KR Revenue

Cash earnings is the most important factor in our analysis, but it goes without saying that if a company cannot produce sales then there is no ability to generate cash flow. By that logic we look very closely at revenue numbers as our second most important factor in valuing a company's stock. We have established reasonable Price to Sales per share ranges based on historical data of the last 10 years. For, KR the high and low end of the Price to Sales per share ratios are 0.29x and 0.21x respectively.

Notice that KR's current Price to Sales per share ratio is 0.18x, which is quite a bit below what we consider a normal Price to Sales ratio for this stock. Given normal conditions and a price of $21.18, KR is 27% below where we would expect to see it. This will beneficially factor into our final analysis of KR as it is not often that this stock sinks to these levels.

KR Cash Earnings

As a value investment framework, Ockham Research is similar to a private equity firm in terms of our valuation methods. We are always on the lookout for value in the form of sales and cash numbers. In the case of KR, Ockham views their current Cash Earnings as above their historical average multiples of Cash Earnings, as calculated by our proprietary analysis. It is incredibly important to understand that for KR, the current level of Cash Earnings compared to its historical levels helps identify where KR is in relation to what the investing community was willing to pay for this level of Cash Earnings in the past. With a historical high Cash Earnings per share ratio of 9.51 and a historical low Cash Earnings per share ratio of 6.83, an investor can relate where value becomes optimal.

Given this range of ratios per share, KR at its current price of $21.18 and a Price to Cash Earnings ratio of 8.24 is 0% above its average historical Price to Cash Earnings ratio. Obviously this makes us more hesitant about KR because cash earnings would need to rise to improve the valuation. Likewise, a decline in Price to Cash Earnings to below the average of 8.17 would significantly improve our outlook for KR given the current profit levels.

KR Dividends

While it is not necessary to pay an attractive dividend or a dividend at all, to receive a positive rating from Ockham, we view dividends as an additionally helpful measure in determining the future potential of any company.

In KR’s case, the estimated annual dividend is $0.38 resulting in a current dividend yield of 1.79%. Similar to our review of Sales and Cash Earnings per share, we evaluate dividend yields from KR against the historic high and low levels over the past 10 years. The highest dividend yield from KR over this period was 1.96% while the lowest dividend yield was 0.00% KR’s current dividend yield is therefore significantly higher than its median dividend yield historically. In fact, the current yield is 82.65% above the median which weighs very positively on our analysis of KR.

Peer Comparison

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The Kroger Company Industry Grouping

(2/8/2010)
Company Ticker Market Cap (Ml) Latest
Price
Price/Cash Earnings Price/Sales 5-Yr. Rev.
Growth Rate
5-Yr.
Avg. ROE.
Current 10-Yr. Range* Current 10-Yr. Range*
Peer Company Averages (not including KR) 9.82 4.14 » 23.11 0.65 0.30 » 1.42 10.12% 21.52%
*10 year range does not include current year values
The TJX Companies, Inc. TJX $15.9 Billion $37.79 10.16 5.51 » 15.99 0.82 0.39 » 1.05 7.35% 37.28%
Kohl's Corp. KSS $15.1 Billion $49.20 10.25 5.19 » 36.47 0.90 0.45 » 3.23 9.77% 15.90%
Best Buy Company, Inc. BBY $14.8 Billion $35.47 7.42 3.80 » 30.10 0.31 0.15 » 0.92 12.89% 23.80%
The Kroger Company KR $13.7 Billion $21.13 8.24 3.58 » 13.13 0.18 0.16 » 0.44 7.16% 18.49%
The Gap, Inc. GPS $13.6 Billion $19.67 8.72 4.19 » 18.43 0.98 0.45 » 1.36 -1.73% 20.06%
Sears Holdings Corp. SHLD $10.4 Billion $89.93 12.54 1.99 » 14.57 0.24 0.06 » 0.54 22.33% 10.58%
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4:03P, Jan. 22,2010 KR $21.80 The Kroger Company
Closing Bell

See More News on KR from Closing Bell

Staying informed on the news is invaluable for investors, and RazorWire has captured a recently discussion on KR from Closing Bell.

Our sentiment indicator, provided through the Motley Fool CAPS survey, suggests that investors are neutral overall towards KR and think that it will generally perform in-line with the S&P 500. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Kroger Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others. At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on KR, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue.

“… Some of them like KROGER, safe way, kellogg, believe it or not, all ended up on the upside. There are your major indices for the week. The dow jones industrials, maria, down 2. …”

5:08P, Dec. 28,2009 KR $20.73 The Kroger Company
Fast Money

Fast Money Has the Latest News on KR

The latest news from Fast Money on KR is available through Ockham's news analytics platform RazorWire.

Ranking all stocks in terms of news coverage offers some interesting data. In the case of KR, it is getting significantly more attention in recent news coverage than we are used to seeing. The Motley Fool CAPS crowd believes this stock will perform generally in line with the benchmark, or in other words the crowd is neutral. Based on our methodology, The Kroger Company should hold some appeal to value investors as we view it as Undervalued.

“… If you believe in the return of frugality, the return of stocks are favorable, particularly food, groceries, companies like KROGER, companies like if you believe in frugality, I ... …”

5:47P, Dec. 11,2009 KR $20.15 The Kroger Company
Fast Money

Valuation and The Kroger Company Mentioned on Fast Money

The Kroger Company was talked about in relation to their valuation on Fast Money, and you can see what the pundits are saying with RazorWire.

At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on KR, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Kroger Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others. Our sentiment indicator, provided through the Motley Fool CAPS survey, suggests that investors are neutral overall towards KR and think that it will generally perform in-line with the S&P 500.

“… december 9th. I still like the name and pete was a sprinter in high school. >> long ago. >> really, sprinter? A drop for KROGER. …”

5:42P, Dec. 10,2009 KR $20.06 The Kroger Company
Fast Money

See More News on KR from Fast Money

News has broken via the television and viral blogs regarding KR, so investors should take an interest in learning what was said.

Our sentiment indicator, provided through the Motley Fool CAPS survey, suggests that investors are neutral overall towards KR and think that it will generally perform in-line with the S&P 500. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Kroger Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others. At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on KR, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue.

“… I would point to last week's earnings from KROGER. Even grocery stores don't have a pricing power. Think that's a problem. Disinflation, think, is a reason to fade. …”

9:38A, Dec. 09,2009 KR $19.80 The Kroger Company
The Opening Bell on Fox Business

Can KR Keep Costs In-Line? See The Opening Bell on Fox Business's Take

A news report on The Kroger Company's cost structure occurred recently on The Opening Bell on Fox Business, so investors should take note.

Based on our methodology, The Kroger Company should hold some appeal to value investors as we view it as Undervalued. We noticed recently that in comparison to all other stocks we analyze in the news; KR has received less coverage from the financial media in business television and blogs. The Motley Fool CAPS crowd believes this stock will perform generally in line with the benchmark, or in other words the crowd is neutral.

“… If we go to a deflationary environment, KROGER announced yesterday or the other day the earnings were down because of deflation in their goods and that's a grocery store. …”

6:56A, Dec. 09,2009 KR $20.21 The Kroger Company
Squawk Box

KR Having an Active Day in News, Now on Squawk Box

We are observing a lot of attention being paid to KR in the news, so if you hold the stock you may want to take a look at what is going on.

Our sentiment indicator, provided through the Motley Fool CAPS survey, suggests that investors are neutral overall towards KR and think that it will generally perform in-line with the S&P 500. At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on KR, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Kroger Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others.

“… The target is 66 and KROGER at ubs. The target is reduced from 22 -- or from 30 to 22. A also a also -- did you think of that? . …”

4:03P, Dec. 08,2009 KR $20.12 The Kroger Company
Closing Bell

Earnings Discussion for The Kroger Company on Closing Bell

Earnings are one of the most important fundamental factors we track, so we are always interested in the latest profit reports and news.

The Motley Fool CAPS data suggests that investors believe The Kroger Company will beat the market in the foreseeable future. We considered KR as Undervalued as of our latest report at $22.87. According to our methodology, this stock has appreciation potential based on current fundamentals which only improves if earnings or revenue surprise or the price falls as it has recently. Please be aware that KR is trading off $2.12 today, and is clearly being affected by the latest news. As we analyze the results from RazorWire, one thing we do is rank each stock in terms of amount of news coverage. Recently, KR has been less covered in the news compared to the rest of our universe of stocks.

“… KROGER was a stock that had weak earnings. The stock got hammered. KROGER was down 12%. All of this overshadowing the fact that fedex, really an economic bellwether boosted ... …”

4:02P, Dec. 08,2009 KR $20.12 The Kroger Company
Closing Bell

KR Having an Active Day in News, Now on Closing Bell

Something important is going on with KR today, as it is getting a lot of attention on business television and influential blogs.

The Motley Fool CAPS data suggests that investors believe The Kroger Company will beat the market in the foreseeable future. As we analyze the results from RazorWire, one thing we do is rank each stock in terms of amount of news coverage. Recently, KR has been less covered in the news compared to the rest of our universe of stocks. Please be aware that KR is trading off $2.12 today, and is clearly being affected by the latest news. We considered KR as Undervalued as of our latest report at $22.87. According to our methodology, this stock has appreciation potential based on current fundamentals which only improves if earnings or revenue surprise or the price falls as it has recently.

“… Those disappointing earnings from 3m, mcdonald's and KROGER. KROGER stock got hammered throughout the day today. Take a look at the dollar index because as the dollar index ... …”

3:37P, Dec. 08,2009 KR $20.06 The Kroger Company
Countdown to the Closing Bell

Countdown to the Closing Bell: KR is Among Most Active Stocks in the News Today

KR has been one of the most active stocks in the news today, so investors in it will want to pay attention to what is happening.

When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Kroger Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others. Crowd sentiment is favorable on this stock, as measured by the Motley Fool CAPS survey. At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on KR, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. However, the KR has fallen in price since the report, and barring a change in fundamentals could be upgraded on our next report. Investors are headed for the exit following today's news as the stock is trading down $2.19.

“… Watching these in particular and keeping an eye on everything from kimco and KROGER and fed ex. All names in the news. 900 million, not at the billion share mark. …”

3:14P, Dec. 08,2009 KR $20.04 The Kroger Company
Closing Bell

KR Having an Active Day in News, Now on Closing Bell

Something important is going on with KR today, as it is getting a lot of attention on business television and influential blogs.

At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on KR, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. However, the KR has fallen in price since the report, and barring a change in fundamentals could be upgraded on our next report. Crowd sentiment is favorable on this stock, as measured by the Motley Fool CAPS survey. Investors are headed for the exit following today's news as the stock is trading down $2.20. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Kroger Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others.

“… KROGER stock getting hit. So is pfizer. You are watching cnbc, first in business worldwide. Rading. Tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 I always have my eye out for a stock on the move. …”

View All The Kroger Company Stock News

Key Fundamentals

KR - The Kroger Company Fundamentals
Price (2/9 1:58PM) $21.37
Volume (2/9 1:58PM) 3.5 Million
Last Close Price $21.13
10 Day Average Volume 7.2 Million
13 Week Price Range $19.45 - $23.46
52 Week Price Range $19.39 - $24.80
LTM Revenue $75.5 Billion
 
Shares Outstanding (01/2009) 649.9 Million
Market Capitalization $13.7 Billion
Shares Held By Institutions 534.1 Million
Institutional Holders 731
% Shares Held By Institutions 82%
Earnings Per Share (EPS) $1.90
P/E Ratio 88.00
Book Value Per Share $7.36
 
Gross Margin 23.60%
Annual Dividend 0.38
Dividend Yield 1.80%
Beta 0.33
Fiscal Year Ends January

About The Kroger Company

The Kroger Company is considered to operate in the Services sector. They specifically operate in the Grocery Stores business segment contained within the Retail industry.

The Company manufactures and processes some of the food for sale in its supermarkets. It operates retail food and drug stores, multi-department stores, jewelry stores, and convenience stores throughout the United States.