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KR vs. WMT: Kroger vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

How do Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT) both belong to the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry, though KR is classified under Food Retail while WMT falls under Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail.

Company profile comparison for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
Profile ItemKRWMT
NameKroger Co.Walmart Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryFood RetailConsumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization34.73 billion USD917.33 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962August 25, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KR
WMT
GSPC
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
Total Return (1Y)-15.83%15.25%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)7.67%30.55%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.10%19.69%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

KR
WMT
GSPC
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.06%24.47%
Beta (5Y)0.410.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.07%-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.78M23.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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KR and WMT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.710.46
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.960.68

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Walmart (WMT) at 24.13% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Kroger (KR) at 13.78% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WMT.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

13.78%

Max
35.20%
Q3
21.90%
Median
15.63%
KR
13.78%
Q1
8.48%
Min
-2.30%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

24.13%

Max
35.20%
WMT
24.13%
Q3
21.90%
Median
15.63%
Q1
8.48%
Min
-2.30%
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Walmart (WMT) at 3.14% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Kroger (KR) at 0.71% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.71%

Max
5.59%
Q3
3.39%
Median
2.27%
Q1
1.59%
KR
0.71%
Min
-0.12%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.14%

Max
5.59%
Q3
3.39%
WMT
3.14%
Median
2.27%
Q1
1.59%
Min
-0.12%
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Kroger (KR) at 3.22% and Walmart (WMT) at 4.22% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.22%

Max
9.09%
Q3
5.18%
Median
3.89%
KR
3.22%
Q1
1.70%
Min
0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

4.22%

Max
9.09%
Q3
5.18%
WMT
4.22%
Median
3.89%
Q1
1.70%
Min
0.00%
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
ROE (TTM)13.78%24.13%
ROA (TTM)5.77%6.84%
Net Margin (TTM)0.71%3.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.22%4.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)23.98%24.98%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Walmart (WMT) at 4.73% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Kroger (KR) at 0.35% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Walmart (WMT) at 13.28% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Kroger (KR) at -58.04% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.35%4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.14%5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)-58.04%13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-20.46%24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Kroger (KR) at 0.79 and Walmart (WMT) at 0.77 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.79

Max
2.15
Q3
1.50
Median
1.17
Q1
1.00
KR
0.79
Min
0.68

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max
2.15
Q3
1.50
Median
1.17
Q1
1.00
WMT
0.77
Min
0.68
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Walmart (WMT) at 0.75 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Kroger (KR) at 3.73 uses more debt funding than most peers.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.73

KR
3.73
Max
3.73
Q3
1.88
Median
1.26
Q1
0.64
Min
0.00

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.75

Max
3.73
Q3
1.88
Median
1.26
WMT
0.75
Q1
0.64
Min
0.00
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.790.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.730.75
Net Debt / EBITDA2.641.45

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Kroger (KR) at 1.85% and Walmart (WMT) at 0.82% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.85%

Max
2.92%
Q3
1.87%
KR
1.85%
Median
0.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.82%

Max
2.92%
Q3
1.87%
WMT
0.82%
Median
0.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Kroger (KR) at 80.12% and Walmart (WMT) at 33.54% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

80.12%

KR
80.12%
Max
80.12%
Q3
33.46%
Median
12.07%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

33.54%

Max
80.12%
WMT
33.54%
Q3
33.46%
Median
12.07%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.85%0.82%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)80.12%33.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Kroger (KR) at 33.15 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 40.59 sits in the richer quartile — WMT needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

33.15

Max
51.70
Q3
37.59
KR
33.15
Median
21.47
Q1
16.83
Min
11.73

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

40.59

Max
51.70
WMT
40.59
Q3
37.59
Median
21.47
Q1
16.83
Min
11.73
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Kroger (KR) at 0.23 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 1.26 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.23

Max
1.78
Q3
0.95
Median
0.48
Q1
0.24
KR
0.23
Min
0.02

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.26

Max
1.78
WMT
1.26
Q3
0.95
Median
0.48
Q1
0.24
Min
0.02
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Kroger (KR) at 6.13 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 9.73 carries an above-peer premium to book — WMT is pricier on assets.

KR

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

6.13

Max
9.73
Q3
6.68
KR
6.13
Median
4.09
Q1
2.08
Min
0.63

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

9.73

WMT
9.73
Max
9.73
Q3
6.68
Median
4.09
Q1
2.08
Min
0.63
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Kroger (KR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricKRWMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)33.1540.59
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.231.26
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.139.73
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.62%0.75%