Kroger (NYSE: KR) Prepares for Q2 Earnings Amidst Market Anticipation and High Short Interest

Font: Financial Modeling Prep  • Jun 16, 2026

• The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is set to release its Q2 earnings report on June 18, 2026, with analysts projecting an EPS of $1.59 and revenue of $45.63 billion, signaling modest year-over-year growth.
• Options traders are anticipating a significant 7.6% price swing for Kroger stock following the earnings announcement, a figure considerably higher than its historical average post-earnings movement of 4.2%.
• Despite some positive market sentiment, short interest in Kroger remains elevated, with 31.38 million shares sold short, representing 5.36% of its publicly available shares, indicating ongoing market skepticism.

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is one of the largest supermarket operators in the United States. The company runs thousands of retail food and drug stores, multi-department stores, and fulfillment centers. It competes with other major retailers like Walmart (NYSE:WMT) and Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) in the highly competitive grocery market.

Kroger is scheduled to release its quarterly earnings report on June 18, 2026. Wall Street's consensus estimate for the quarter is an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.59. As highlighted by Benzinga.com, this represents expected growth from the $1.49 per share reported in the same period last year.

Revenue for the quarter is projected to be around $45.63 billion. This is slightly above the consensus estimate of $45.49 billion and shows an increase from the $45.12 billion in revenue reported a year ago. This indicates expectations for modest year-over-year top-line growth for the grocery giant.

Ahead of the report, options traders are showing significant activity. As highlighted by Schaeffersresearch.com, the options market is pricing in a potential 7.6% price swing for the stock. This is much higher than the stock's average post-earnings move of 4.2% over the last two years, suggesting increased anticipation.

Despite some positive sentiment, short interest in Kroger remains high. Short interest is the number of shares sold by investors betting the price will drop. Currently, 31.38 million shares are sold short. This figure represents 5.36% of the stock's publicly available shares, indicating some market skepticism.