KR vs NGVC vs WMT Stock Comparison

Kroger, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and Walmart Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KR Kroger Co
$66.79 +13.7% 1M -0.5% 1Y
Market cap
$39.74B
P/E
51.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$137.15B
Div. yield
–
Grocery Stores Consumer Staples
1 win
WMT Walmart Inc.
$120.29 +11.4% 1M +13.3% 1Y
Market cap
$947.97B
P/E
42.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$735.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Discount Stores Consumer Staples
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage 7, Walmart 4, Kroger 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKRNGVCWMTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $39.74B $699.00M $947.97B WMT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 51.1x 14.7x 42.9x NGVC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.6x 15.5x 38.9x KR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -6.7% +2.0% +6.2% WMT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 0.6% 3.5% 3.0% NGVC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.7% 21.0% 16.1% NGVC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.4x -0.2x 0.8x NGVC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.01% NGVC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.5% -23.4% +13.3% WMT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.1%/yr +20.7%/yr +19.6%/yr NGVC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.9% 41.2% 26.6% WMT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 33/100 69/100 48/100 NGVC

Percentile Scorecard

KRNGVCWMT

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisKRNGVCWMT
Valuation 49 #21 of 40 69 #13 of 40 10 #36 of 40
Growth 8 #35 of 38 68 #13 of 38 43 #22 of 38
Profitability 31 #25 of 36 69 #12 of 36 80 #8 of 36
Financial Health 15 #34 of 40 74 #11 of 40 64 #15 of 40
Shareholder Returns 63 #11 of 28 67 #10 of 28 44 #16 of 28
Overall 33 69 48
  • KR ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • NGVC ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • WMT ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodKRNGVCWMTSPY
1 month +13.7%+4.6%+11.4% -0.8%
3 months +15.2%-2.1%+7.7% +3.5%
6 months +1.4%+14.5%-5.7% +7.0%
Year to date +6.9%+23.9%+8.0% +12.2%
1 year -0.5%-23.4%+13.3% +13.0%
3 years +50.3%+151.3%+123.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year +14.6%+36.0%+30.9% +23.1%
5 years +69.2%+156.4%+144.6% +68.6%
5 years, per year +11.1%+20.7%+19.6% +11.0%
10 years +116.1%+152.9%+418.5% +258.0%
10 years, per year +8.0%+9.7%+17.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureKRNGVCWMTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.9%41.2%26.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.6%43.3%28.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.70-0.35-0.09 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.02-0.570.50 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -31.7%-64.1%-26.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.7%-21.8%-10.4% -1.8%
52-week high $75.60$39.70$134.20 $779.14
52-week low $55.53$23.71$100.61 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleKRNGVCWMT
P/E now vs peer median 52.1xmedian 22.0x 15.0xmedian 22.0x 43.3xmedian 22.0x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 0.5x 0.5xmedian 0.5x 1.3xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 9.8x 7.3xmedian 9.8x 21.0xmedian 9.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.1xmedian 17.8x 31.5xmedian 17.8x 70.6xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 3.0x 3.0xmedian 3.0x 9.1xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median -3.03median 1.18 0.44median 1.18 2.56median 1.18

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsKRNGVCWMT
Revenue $137.15B $1.34B $735.84B
Gross profit $31.69B $398.34M $185.66B
Operating income $1.54B $63.25M $32.28B
Net income $798.00M $47.64M $22.55B
Free cash flow – $22.71M $13.51B
EPS (diluted) $1.28 $2.05 $2.77
Cash & equivalents $1.68B $17.47M $11.53B
Total debt $17.00B $1.45M $50.41B
Shares (diluted) 608.00M 23.26M 7.98B
Enterprise value $25.89B $620.49M $904.40B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricKRNGVCWMT
P/E 52.1x 15.0x 43.3x
P/FCF 10.1x 31.5x 70.6x
P/Operating cash flow – 10.1x 22.2x
P/S 0.3x 0.5x 1.3x
P/B 6.7x 3.0x 9.1x
P/Tangible book 7.9x 3.1x 9.1x
EV/EBITDA 12.0x 7.3x 21.0x
EV/EBIT 35.6x 11.1x 30.8x
EV/Revenue 0.4x 0.5x 1.3x
EV/FCF – 30.8x 73.5x
EV/Operating cash flow – 9.9x 23.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.03 0.44 2.56

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKRNGVCWMT
Revenue growth (1Y) -6.7% 2.0% 6.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 6.3% 5.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -6.7% 1.0% 7.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.7% 7.8% 6.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -60.8% 8.0% 11.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -16.7% 31.9% 14.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -70.8% 9.1% 2.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -21.3% 34.6% 16.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -68.6% 9.4% 3.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -17.2% 33.9% 16.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – 10.2% 11.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 15.1% 4.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – -34.2% -1.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 27.4% -11.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKRNGVCWMT
Gross margin 23.1% 29.6% 25.2%
EBITDA margin 3.3% 7.1% 6.4%
Operating margin 1.1% 4.7% 4.4%
Pretax margin 0.7% 4.5% 4.0%
Net margin 0.6% 3.5% 3.0%
FCF margin – 1.7% 1.8%
Operating cash flow margin – 5.3% 5.8%
Return on equity 13.5% 20.3% 21.9%
Return on assets 1.6% 6.9% 7.7%
Return on invested capital 5.7% 21.0% 16.1%
Return on capital employed 4.9% 12.0% 18.3%
Asset turnover 2.8x 2.0x 2.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) – 1.5x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.3% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKRNGVCWMT
Debt / assets 34.3% 0.2% 17.2%
Debt / equity 2.9x 0.0x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.4x -0.2x 0.8x
Debt / FCF – 0.1x 3.7x
Liabilities / assets 88.2% 65.2% 64.4%
Equity / assets 11.8% 34.8% 35.6%
Interest coverage 153.9x 23.4x 17.4x
Current ratio 0.7x 1.1x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 4.13 3.60 6.27

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKRNGVCWMT
Dividend yield 2.2% 1.9% 0.8%
Net buyback yield – – 0.7%
Shareholder yield 2.2% 1.9% 1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 27.5% 34.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 57.8% 57.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 24.5% 8.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 13.0% 8.0%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusKRNGVCWMT
Forward P/E 12.6xFY2026 15.5xFY2026 38.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.30FY2026 $2.00FY2026 $3.09FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.3%FY2026 -7.8%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.0% +19.0% +1.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $160.02BFY2026 $1.40BFY2026 $719.70BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.4%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026 +0.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -6.6% +0.8% +6.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKRNGVCWMT
Held by institutions 85.6% 40.0% 37.2%
Institutions holding 1,319 158 4,408
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.0% +6.1% +6.2%
Institutions buying 668 90 2,092
Institutions selling 473 39 1,838
Buyers to sellers 1.41 2.31 1.14

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

KRNGVCWMT
KR 1.00 0.43 0.35
NGVC 0.43 1.00 0.22
WMT 0.35 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KR, NGVC and WMT?

Walmart (WMT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kroger (KR) $39.74B, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) $699.00M, Walmart (WMT) $947.97B.

Which stock is cheaper, KR, NGVC and WMT?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kroger (KR) 51.1x, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) 14.7x, Walmart (WMT) 42.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kroger (KR) is cheapest (Kroger (KR) 12.6x, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) 15.5x, Walmart (WMT) 38.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Walmart (WMT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kroger (KR) -6.7%, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) +2.0%, Walmart (WMT) +6.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) has the highest net margin (Kroger (KR) 0.6%, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) 3.5%, Walmart (WMT) 3.0%). On return on invested capital, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) leads (Kroger (KR) 5.7%, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) 21.0%, Walmart (WMT) 16.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Walmart (WMT) returned the most: Kroger (KR) -0.5%, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) -23.4%, Walmart (WMT) +13.3%. Over five years, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) compounded fastest (Kroger (KR) +11.1%/yr, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) +20.7%/yr, Walmart (WMT) +19.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) has the highest dividend yield: Kroger (KR) 0.00%, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) 0.02%, Walmart (WMT) 0.01%. Kroger (KR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Walmart (WMT) has been the steadiest (Kroger (KR) 29.9%, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) 41.2%, Walmart (WMT) 26.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KR, NGVC and WMT?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.