The Kroger CoLTS:0JS2 +2.25%69 Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates LTS:0JS2 with a GF Score™ of 69/100 and a GF Value™ of $66.84 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 298 Retail - Defensive companies, The Kroger Co ranks better than 70.81% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
The Kroger Co has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
LTS:0JS2'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 4 Med: 6 Max: 8
Current: 6
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of The Kroger Co was 8. The lowest was 4. And the median was 6.
The Kroger Co (LTS:0JS2) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
The Kroger Co Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
The Kroger Co Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
LTS:0JS2 vs SFM, ACI, WMK: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Grocery Stores subindustry, The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
The Kroger Co Piotroski F-Score vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
The Kroger Co's current Net Income (TTM) was 1,053.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
The Kroger Co's return on assets of this year was 0.02001292. The Kroger Co's return on assets of last year was 0.05116325.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
The Kroger Co's gearing of this year was 0.42624648. The Kroger Co's gearing of last year was 0.4507542.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
The Kroger Co's current ratio of this year was 0.80204589. The Kroger Co's current ratio of last year was 0.95815558.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
The Kroger Co's number of shares in issue this year was 615. The Kroger Co's number of shares in issue last year was 664.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
The Kroger Co's gross margin of this year was 0.23184769. The Kroger Co's gross margin of last year was 0.23013907.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
The Kroger Co's asset turnover of this year was 2.82509123. The Kroger Co's asset turnover of last year was 2.91004851.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
The Kroger Co has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The Kroger Co (LTS:0JS2) has a Piotroski F-Score of 6 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on The Kroger Co and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, The Kroger Co ranks #87 out of 298 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 29.2%.
Is The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score too high?
The Kroger Co's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is near median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 4.00 to a high of 8.00. The Retail - Defensive industry median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00. The Kroger Co's value of 6 is 0% at this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, The Kroger Co ranks #87 out of 298 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, The Kroger Co has a GF Score™ of 69/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does The Kroger Co's Piotroski F-Score compare to SFM and ACI?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, The Kroger Co ranks #87 out of 298 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This puts The Kroger Co in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00. The Kroger Co's value of 6 is 0% at this benchmark. Historically, The Kroger Co's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 4.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 6.00, The Kroger Co has consistently been at the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Retail - Defensive companies is 6.00, based on 298 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. The Kroger Co's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is 0% at the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on The Kroger Co and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. The Kroger Co's current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is The Kroger Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Kroger Co (LTS:0JS2) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $66.84, compared to a current price of $58.54 — trading 12.4% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 0% at the Retail - Defensive industry median of 6.00. The Kroger Co's overall GF Score™ is 69/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For The Kroger Co (LTS:0JS2), the current Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is The Kroger Co (LTS:0JS2) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Kroger Co stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $58.54 is trading 12.4% below its estimated GF Value™ of $66.84.
GuruFocus considers The Kroger Co to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for LTS:0JS2:
Piotroski F-Score: 6 (near median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $66.84 vs. price of $58.54 (12.4% below fair value)
Industry Position: 0% at the Retail - Defensive median (#87 of 298)
No single metric tells the full story. See the LTS:0JS2 stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Founded in 1883, Kroger is the largest pure-play supermarket operator in the United States, operating roughly 2,700 stores across more than 30 banners. Kroger's business is primarily grocery-led (roughly 78% of sales), spanning fresh food and private-label offerings, complemented by fuel centers (9%) and pharmacies (12%). The firm also generates income from advertising, data analytics, and manufacturing.
69GF Score
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