Kroger Co. KR,
reported second-quarter net income of $ 467 million, or 61 cents per share, below $ 819 million, or $ 1.03 per share last year. An adjusted EPS of 80 cents outperformed the FactSet consensus by 64 cents. Sales of $ 31.68 million were up from $ 30.49 million last year and also ahead of the $ 30.64 million FactSet consensus. Digital sales doubled, with an increase of 114%. Identical sales, excluding fuel, fell 0.6%, ahead of the FactSet consensus for a 3.2% decline. In a two-year stack, identical sales rose 14%. Kroger raised its full-year adjusted EPS target to $ 3.25 to $ 3.35, compared to the previous target of $ 2.95 to $ 3.10. The FactSet consensus is for $ 3.09 EPS. Kroger shares fell 1.4% in trading on Friday before the market, but have gained 45.3% over the previous year. The S&P 500 SPX Index,
so far it has increased by 19.6% for 2021.