$KR

Kroger ended its partnership with U.S. Bank, discontinuing the Kroger Elite Mastercard and its associated benefits, including gas discounts. The change, effective now, removes savings of 5 to 25 cents per gallon. Kroger introduced a new rewards credit card with different benefits, such as points for purchases. According to AAA, gas prices are at record highs for this time of year, averaging $4.48 per gallon.

Insiders at Credo (CRDO), Seagate (STX), General Dynamics (GD), Grab (GRAB), and Kroger (KR) executed notable trades. Credo's CLO sold $925K shares, Seagate's CTO sold $8.2M, GD's director sold $2.6M, Grab's CEO bought $30M, and Kroger's director sold $4.4M.

Grocery retailers are preemptively cutting prices to address inflation concerns. Aldi announced $86M in discounts, Kroger removed Boar's Head and Red Bull over pricing disputes, and Instacart added more chains to its 'no markups' pledge. Costco and Walmart also highlighted price reductions. These moves aim to attract value-seeking shoppers and gain market share.

Kroger Co. announced its AI strategy, leveraging proprietary retail data and consumer insights. The plan involves three stages: assisted, augmented, and autonomous AI deployment. Current applications include an AI Shopping Assistant and intelligent workflow tools. The company aims to enhance human connections through AI, not replace them. Kroger envisions AI-managed grocery services in the future.

Kroger is testing 24-hour store operations in two states, reviving a service many retailers discontinued over five years ago.

Walmart (WMT) and Kroger (KR) offer different dividend profiles. Walmart's dividend is covered 5x by operating cash flow, with revenue growth of 4-5% and EPS guidance raised to $2.80-$2.87. Kroger's yield is higher at 2.46%, but its margins are thinner, and it cut sales growth guidance to 0.2-0.8%. Walmart's ad and membership revenue surged 38% and 17%, respectively, supporting future dividend growth.

Kroger (KR) and Dollar General (DG) shares rose 2.8% and 2.5% respectively on Thursday, outperforming the broader market. Treasury yields continued to rise in the background.

Kroger's identical-store sales growth slowed to 0.2% in Q2, continuing a four-quarter decline. Ahold Delhaize and Albertsons also reported weak comparable-store sales, while Sprouts Farmers Market saw negative growth. Discounters like Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Walmart reported stronger sales, highlighting shoppers' focus on value. Declining fresh department sales and pharmacy revenue add to grocers' challenges, according to industry analysis.

Kroger, the largest traditional supermarket chain, reported adding 1 million high-income households while losing 700,000 lower-income households in the past year. CEO Greg Foran attributed this shift to a focus on price-conscious customers and lowering prices. The data reflects a widening wealth gap and a K-shaped economic recovery, where different segments of the economy move in opposite directions.

Kroger (NYSE: KR) Executive Vice President Mary Ellen Adcock exercised stock options for 48,806 shares, valued at $1.19M. Kroger shares are up 0.07% at $60.05. The company reported a 2.01% revenue growth rate but has a low gross margin of 22.7% and a high debt-to-equity ratio of 4.14.