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The Kroger Co (The Kroger Co) Free Cash Flow

: $2,884 Mil (TTM As of Jan. 2024)
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The Kroger Co's total free cash flow for the months ended in Jan. 2024 was $923 Mil. Its total free cash flow for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jan. 2024 was $2,884 Mil.

The Kroger Co's Free Cash Flow per Share for the months ended in Jan. 2024 was $1.27. Its free cash flow per share for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jan. 2024 was $3.99.

During the past 12 months, the average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate of The Kroger Co was 103.70% per year. During the past 3 years, the average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate was -7.70% per year. During the past 5 years, the average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate was 15.40% per year. During the past 10 years, the average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate was 15.60% per year. Please click Growth Rate Calculation Example (GuruFocus) to see how GuruFocus calculates Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT)'s revenue growth rate. You can apply the same method to get the Free Cash Flow Growth Rate using Free Cash Flow per Share data.

During the past 13 years, The Kroger Co's highest 3-Year average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate was 96.40% per year. The lowest was -47.90% per year. And the median was 1.60% per year.


The Kroger Co Free Cash Flow Historical Data

The historical data trend for The Kroger Co's Free Cash Flow 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.

* Premium members only.

The Kroger Co Annual Data
Trend Jan15 Jan16 Jan17 Jan18 Jan19 Jan20 Jan21 Jan22 Jan23 Jan24
Free Cash Flow
Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 1,536.00 3,950.00 3,576.00 1,420.00 2,884.00

The Kroger Co Quarterly Data
Apr19 Jul19 Oct19 Jan20 Apr20 Jul20 Oct20 Jan21 Apr21 Jul21 Oct21 Jan22 Apr22 Jul22 Oct22 Jan23 Apr23 Jul23 Oct23 Jan24
Free Cash Flow Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 343.00 1,832.00 578.00 -449.00 923.00

The Kroger Co Free Cash Flow Calculation

Free Cash Flow is considered one of the most important parameters to measure a company's earnings power by value investors because it is not subject to estimates of Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (DDA). However, when we look at the Free Cash Flow, we should look from a long term perspective, because any year's Free Cash Flow can be drastically affected by the spending on Property, Plant, & Equipment (PPE) of the business in that year. Over the long term, Free Cash Flow should give pretty good picture on the real earnings power of the company.

The Kroger Co's Free Cash Flow for the fiscal year that ended in Jan. 2024 is calculated as

Free Cash Flow (A: Jan. 2024 )=Cash Flow from Operations+Capital Expenditure
=6788+-3904
=2,884

The Kroger Co's Free Cash Flow for the quarter that ended in Jan. 2024 is calculated as

Free Cash Flow (Q: Jan. 2024 )=Cash Flow from Operations+Capital Expenditure
=1920+-997
=923

Free Cash Flow for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jan. 2024 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $2,884 Mil.

* 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.


The Kroger Co  (NYSE:KR) Free Cash Flow Explanation

Free Cash Flow is very close to Warren Buffett's definition of Owner's Earnings, except that in Warren Buffett's Owner's Earnings, the spending for Property, Plant, and Equipment is only for maintenance (replacement), while in the Free Cash Flow calculation, the cost of new Property, Plant, and Equipment due to business expansion is also deducted. There, Free Cash Flow is more conservative than Owner's Earnings.

In Don Yacktman's calculation of forward rate of return, he uses Free Cash Flow for the calculation. Yacktman explained the forward rate of return concept in detail in his interview with GuruFocus. Yacktman defines forward rate of return as the normalized free cash flow yield plus real growth plus inflation.

This is what Yacktman said in his March 2012 interview - when the S&P 500 was at 1400:

If the business is stable, this calculation is fairly straightforward. For instance, on the S&P 500 we would normalize earnings. We would then calculate what percentage of those earnings are not reinvested in the underlying businesses and are therefore free. Historically, for the S&P 500, this has been just under 50% of earnings. Currently, we expect the S&P to earn about 70 on a normalized basis, a number which is far below reported earnings due to our adjusting for record high profit margins. $70 X ½ / 1400 gives you a normalized free cash flow yield of approximately 2.5%.

The historical real growth rate of the S&P 500 (companies) is about 1.5%. Assuming an inflation rate of 2.5%, the forward rate of return on an investment in the S&P 500 is about 6.5% today (2.5% free cash flow yield plus 1.5% real growth plus 2.5% inflation).

For the growth part of the Forward Rate of Return calculation, GuruFocus uses the 5-year average growth rate of EBITDA per share as the growth rate, and the growth rate is always capped at 20%. For the Free Cash Flow we use per share data averaged over seven years. The reason we use seven years is because research shows that seven years is the length of the typical business cycle.

Therefore, as of Jan24, The Kroger Co's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is

Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % (Jan24)=Normalized Free Cash Flow/Price+5-Year EBITDA Growth Rate
=3.28780952/46.14+0.0566
=12.79 %

* 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.


Be Aware

Free Cash Flow within a report period can be affected by management's decisions of capital spending. Therefore, it is important to look at long term when it comes to Free Cash Flow.


The Kroger Co Free Cash Flow Related Terms

Thank you for viewing the detailed overview of The Kroger Co's Free Cash Flow provided by GuruFocus.com. Please click on the following links to see related term pages.


The Kroger Co (The Kroger Co) Business Description

Address
1014 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, USA, 45202
Kroger is the leading U.S. grocer, with 2,719 supermarkets operating under several banners throughout the country at the end of fiscal 2022. 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. Kroger has offered to acquire Albertsons in a $25 billion deal; if the transaction is approved by regulators, it should close in 2024.
Executives
Carin L Fike officer: Vice President and Treasurer 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Timothy A Massa officer: Group Vice President 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Christine S Wheatley officer: Group Vice President 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Kenneth C Kimball officer: Senior Vice President C/O THE KROGER CO., 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Stuart Aitken officer: Group Vice President C/O JOURNAL MEDIA GROUP, INC., 333 WEST STATE STREET, MILWAUKEE WI 53203
Yael Cosset officer: Group Vice President 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Gary Millerchip officer: Senior Vice President and CFO 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Todd A Foley officer: Vice President and Treasurer 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Valerie L. Jabbar officer: Senior Vice President THE KROGER CO., 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Mary Ellen Adcock officer: Group Vice President 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Calvin J Kaufman officer: Group Vice President THE KROGER CO., 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Mark C Tuffin officer: Senior Vice President THE KROGER CO., 1014 VINE STREET, CINCINNATI OH 45202
Elaine L. Chao director C/O DOLE FOOD COMPANY, INC., ONE DOLE DRIVE, WESTLAKE VILLAGE CA 91362
Michael Joseph Donnelly officer: Senior Vice President
Susan J Kropf director C/O AVON PRODUCTS INC, 1345 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10105-0196

The Kroger Co (The Kroger Co) Headlines

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