Kroger reported a mixed second quarter Friday, beating adjusted earnings estimates while slightly missing sales consensus and cutting identical-sales guidance. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.09, above the FactSet estimate of $1.06 cited by CNBC, while GAAP diluted EPS was $1.05. Sales were $34.621 billion, just under the $34.64 billion FactSet mark.
Identical sales without fuel rose 0.2%, the company said, including an unfavorable Inflation Reduction Act impact noted in the release. Kroger cut fiscal 2026 identical-sales-without-fuel guidance to 0.2% to 0.8% from 1.0% to 2.0% and reaffirmed adjusted EPS guidance of $5.10 to $5.30. Shares fell about 3% in premarket trading on the CNBC movers stamp.
August food CPI rose 0.1%, per the separate BLS release. The grocery print lands alongside that soft food inflation reading after the broader CPI surprise on core goods and services.
Sources: Kroger company PR via PR Newswire (Q2 2026 results and guidance); CNBC premarket movers (FactSet and PM about -3%).
