Kroger's Board of Directors Declares Quarterly Dividend
Rhea-AI Summary
Kroger (NYSE: KR) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, payable June 1, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business May 15, 2026. The dividend has grown at a 13% compounded annual growth rate since reinstatement in 2006.
The company said it expects an increasing dividend over time subject to board approval and reiterated a capital allocation strategy that balances investing free cash flow, maintaining its investment grade debt rating, and returning capital to shareholders.
Positive
- Dividend declared of $0.35 per share payable June 1, 2026
- Dividend CAGR 13% since reinstatement in 2006
- Capital allocation prioritizes investing, rating maintenance, and shareholder returns
Negative
- Future dividend increases are subject to board approval, creating timing uncertainty
- Dividend policy competes with investing free cash flow and debt-rating maintenance
News Market Reaction – KR
In the Mar 13 session, KR gained 0.85%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction. Our momentum scanner triggered 61 alerts that day, indicating high trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous Management,dividends Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30 | Dividend declaration | Positive | +0.3% | Board declared a $0.35 quarterly cash dividend with capital allocation update. |
| Sep 18 | Dividend declaration | Positive | -0.6% | Board declared a $0.35 quarterly dividend payable December 1, 2025. |
| Jun 26 | Dividend increase | Positive | -1.3% | Announced 9% increase to $1.40 per year and 35-cent quarterly payout. |
| Mar 13 | Dividend declaration | Positive | -1.5% | Declared 32-cent quarterly dividend with long-term dividend growth commentary. |
| Jan 31 | Dividend declaration | Positive | +2.7% | Declared 32-cent quarterly dividend and reiterated capital allocation strategy. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Management/dividend headlines tend to produce modest, often slightly negative, next-day moves despite generally shareholder-friendly content.
Recent management/dividend announcements show Kroger repeatedly affirming or increasing its payout, with regular declarations of $0.32–$0.35 per share and references to a 13–13.5% compounded dividend growth rate since 2006. A notable step-up was the 9% dividend increase in June 2025. Price reactions around these updates have been small, with a mix of slight gains and declines, suggesting the market largely anticipates these recurring dividend actions.
Key Terms
quarterly dividend financial
compounded annual growth rate financial
free cash flow financial
investment grade debt rating financial
capital allocation strategy financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. 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 federal or state 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.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.