March 14, 2024
Top 10 Stock Kroger Hold Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Kroger – Top 10 Stock in S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index
Kroger is listed as a top 10 stock on March 14, 2024 in the market index S&P US Consumer because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 36 (36% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Kroger on March 14, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Food Retail |
| Index | Dividends USA, Employee Focus US, Low Waste, Recycling, S&P US Consumer, S&P US Food & Beverage, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Kroger Hold
| 360 METRICS | March 14, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 82 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 33 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 6 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 64 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 36 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 36 (better than 36% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Kroger are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for Kroger. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 82, which means that the share price of Kroger is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 82% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 64, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 64% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 33, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 6, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 94 comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 36, Kroger is worse than 64% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 82) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 64), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 33) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 6). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of Kroger is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Kroger positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 64 (better than 64% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Kroger is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Kroger. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 59 (better than 59% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 82, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in Kroger. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 56, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 56% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 64 (more positive than 64% compared with investment alternatives), Kroger has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 45, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 55% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for Kroger is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: Kroger Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 82 (better than 82% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Kroger shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Kroger. Price-to-Sales is 73 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 73% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Kroger's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 61% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 50. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Kroger are expected to be higher than for 72% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 72). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 82, is a buy recommendation based on Kroger's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Kroger based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: Kroger Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), Kroger shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Kroger. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 27, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 73% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 43, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 33. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 67% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 61, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 61% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 33, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Kroger, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Kroger Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | March 14, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 23 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 14 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 51 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 6 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 6 (better than 6% compared with alternatives), the company Kroger has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Kroger is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Kroger. Liquidity is at 51, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 51% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 14, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 86% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 23, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 77% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with alternatives), Kroger has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Kroger Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | March 14, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 82 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 33 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 51 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 21 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with investment alternatives), Kroger (Food Retail, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Kroger are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 82 (better than 82% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 33), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 6), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 21, is a sell recommendation based on Kroger's financial characteristics. As the company Kroger's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 82) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 33) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 6), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 82% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. ...read more
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