Kroger Co vs Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? Kroger Co trades at $56.21 (market cap $34.60B), while Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $84.55. The key difference: Kroger Co pays a 2.55% dividend while Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund pays none, and Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund is trading nearer its 52-week high, Kroger Co nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| KR | XLP | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $34.60B | — |
Sector | Consumer Staples | — |
52-Week High | $75.60 | $90.00 |
52-Week Low | $55.53 | $75.61 |
Enterprise Value | $54.70B | — |
Dividend Yield | 2.55% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Kroger (KR) trades at $56.73, down 1.03% with bearish technical signals from moving averages. The company maintains stable revenue around $147B with recent earnings showing mixed results - beating estimates in Q3 and Q4 2025 but missing in Q1 2026. Kroger demonstrates strong cash flow generation with $5.8B from operations in 2025 and pays consistent dividends, while expanding digital services and AI shopping assistance.
Kroger presents a defensive investment opportunity with 2.7% dividend yield and analyst consensus target of $68.63 (21% upside). However, rising debt levels and competitive pressures in grocery retail pose risks. The stock offers value with P/S of 0.25x but trades at premium P/E of 33x, requiring earnings acceleration to justify valuation.
XLP trades at $85.12 with minimal daily movement (+0.01%). The ETF maintains a bullish technical outlook with strong moving average signals and oversold RSI conditions. Analyst consensus is unanimously positive with 100% buy ratings. Recent news highlights consumer staples sector resilience amid market uncertainty, with Coca-Cola's strong earnings demonstrating the defensive appeal of staple goods companies.
The defensive nature of consumer staples provides stability during market volatility, though limited financial ratio data requires deeper fundamental analysis. Key risks include sector rotation away from defensive plays and macroeconomic pressures on consumer spending. The 2.6% dividend yield offers income appeal for risk-averse investors seeking market exposure.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Kroger is the leading American grocer, with 2,726 supermarkets operating under several banners throughout the country as of the end of fiscal 2021. Around 83% of stores have pharmacies, while nearly 60% also sell fuel. The company also operates roughly 120 fine jewelry stores. Kroger features a leading private-label offering and manufactures around 30% of its own-brand units (and more than 40% of its grocery own-label assortment) itself, in 33 food production plants nationwide. Kroger is a top-two grocer in most of its major markets (as of early 2021, according to company data). Virtually all of Kroger's sales come from the United States.
Read more on KR →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes companies that have been identified as Consumer Staples companies by the GICS®. It is non-diversified.
Read more on XLP →