Kroger's Board of Directors Declares Quarterly Dividend
Rhea-AI Summary
The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per share, payable March 1, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 13, 2026.
The company noted its quarterly dividend has grown at a 13% compounded annual growth rate since 2006 and said it expects, subject to board approval, an increasing dividend over time. Kroger reiterated a capital allocation strategy that prioritizes reinvestment in the business, maintaining an investment-grade debt rating, and returning capital to shareholders.
Positive
- $0.35 per-share quarterly dividend declared
- Dividend payable March 1, 2026; record date Feb 13, 2026
- Dividend growth of 13% CAGR since 2006
- Capital allocation balancing reinvestment, debt quality, and shareholder returns
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, KR gained 0.33%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
KR slipped 0.11% while key peers were mixed: ACI +0.79%, TGT +2.56%, WMK +1.61%, GO +1.60%, SFM -0.30%, pointing to a stock-specific response to the dividend news rather than a broad grocery-sector move.
Previous Management,dividends Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18 | Dividend declaration | Positive | -0.6% | Board declared $0.35 quarterly dividend with reiterated dividend growth history. |
| Jun 26 | Dividend increase | Positive | -1.3% | Raised annual dividend by 9%, extending 19-year dividend increase streak. |
| Mar 13 | Dividend declaration | Positive | -1.5% | Declared $0.32 quarterly dividend and highlighted 13.5% dividend CAGR. |
| Jan 31 | Dividend declaration | Positive | +2.7% | Announced $0.32 dividend and reiterated capital allocation priorities. |
| Sep 19 | Dividend declaration | Positive | +1.0% | Declared $0.32 dividend with emphasis on long-term dividend growth strategy. |
Dividend announcements often saw modest moves, with more instances of short-term negative reactions despite income-friendly news.
Over the past year, Kroger has consistently used dividend announcements to reinforce its capital return strategy. Regular declarations at $0.32–$0.35 per share and references to a ~13% dividend CAGR since 2006 align with today’s message of steady, growing payouts. Historically, same-tag events around Mar 13, 2025 and Jun 26, 2025 coincided with small share-price declines, while others like Jan 31, 2025 and Sep 19, 2024 drew positive reactions, indicating mixed but generally contained price responses to dividend communications.
Historical Comparison
In the past year, Kroger issued 5 management/dividend updates with an average move of 1.44%. Today’s repeat $0.35 dividend and capital allocation message fits this pattern of modest stock reactions.
Kroger has maintained a regular cadence of quarterly dividends, periodically increasing the payout while reiterating a long-term dividend growth and balanced capital allocation strategy.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement reiterates Kroger’s commitment to shareholder returns via a $0.35 quarterly dividend and a long-term dividend growth rate of 13% since 2006. It reinforces a capital allocation approach that balances free cash flow between reinvestment, maintaining an investment grade debt rating, and returning capital. Investors may watch future dividend changes, cash flow trends, and any updates to this policy for additional context on management’s confidence and balance sheet priorities.
Key Terms
quarterly dividend financial
compounded annual growth rate financial
free cash flow financial
investment grade debt rating financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
The company's quarterly dividend has grown at a
Kroger's capital allocation strategy is to use its free cash flow to invest in the business to drive long-term sustainable net earnings growth while also maintaining its current investment grade debt rating and returning capital to shareholders. The company actively balances the use of its free cash flow to achieve these goals.
About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are, across our family of companies more than 400,000 associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through an eCommerce and store experience under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
This press release contains certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" about the future performance of the company. These statements are based on management's assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Such statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "continues," "expect," "goals," and "strategy." Various uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include the specific risk factors identified in "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K for our last fiscal year and any subsequent filings, as well as the following:
Kroger's ability to achieve sales, earnings, incremental FIFO operating profit, and adjusted free cash flow goals may be affected by: labor negotiations; potential work stoppages; changes in the unemployment rate; pressures in the labor market; changes in government-funded benefit programs; changes in the types and numbers of businesses that compete with Kroger; pricing and promotional activities of existing and new competitors, and the aggressiveness of that competition; Kroger's response to these actions; the state of the economy, including interest rates, the inflationary, disinflationary and/or deflationary trends and such trends in certain commodities, products and/or operating costs; the geopolitical environment including wars and conflicts; unstable political situations and social unrest; changes in tariffs; the effect that fuel costs have on consumer spending; volatility of fuel margins; manufacturing commodity costs; supply constraints; diesel fuel costs related to Kroger's logistics operations; trends in consumer spending; the extent to which Kroger's customers exercise caution in their purchasing in response to economic conditions; the uncertainty of economic growth or recession; stock repurchases; changes in the regulatory environment in which Kroger operates, along with changes in federal policy and at regulatory agencies; Kroger's ability to retain pharmacy sales from third party payors; consolidation in the healthcare industry, including pharmacy benefit managers; Kroger's ability to negotiate modifications to multi-employer pension plans; natural disasters or adverse weather conditions; the effect of public health crises or other significant catastrophic events; the potential costs and risks associated with potential cyber-attacks or data security breaches; the success of Kroger's future growth plans; the ability to execute our growth strategy and value creation model, including continued cost savings, growth of our alternative profit businesses, and our ability to better serve our customers and to generate customer loyalty and sustainable growth through our strategic pillars of fresh, our brands, personalization, and eCommerce; the outcome of litigation matters, including those relating to the terminated transaction with Albertsons; and the risks relating to or arising from our opioid litigation settlements, including the risk of litigation relating to persons, entities, or jurisdictions that do not participate in those settlements. Our ability to achieve these goals may also be affected by our ability to manage the factors identified above. Our ability to execute our financial strategy may be affected by our ability to generate cash flow.
Kroger assumes no obligation to update the information contained herein unless required by applicable law. Please refer to Kroger's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/krogers-board-of-directors-declares-quarterly-dividend-302675388.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.
FAQ
What dividend did Kroger (KR) declare for March 1, 2026?
When is the record date for Kroger's (KR) March 2026 dividend?
How fast has Kroger's (KR) quarterly dividend grown historically?
Does Kroger (KR) plan to increase dividends after March 2026?
How does Kroger (KR) prioritize capital allocation alongside dividends?
