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KO vs KR
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Kroger (KR) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- KO shares have declined approximately 7% over recent weeks, reflecting broader consumer staples pressures, while year-to-date gains stand at around 7%.
- KR has shown stronger momentum with YTD returns near 17%, peaking at 52-week highs above $76 before recent pullbacks.
- Recent KR Q4 revenue hit $34.7 billion with gross margin improvements to 23.1%, supporting relative outperformance amid retail competition.
- KO maintains stability through global brand strength and pricing power, with P/E at 22.94x and strong profitability metrics.
- Both stocks exhibit consumer defensive traits, but KR's higher volatility offers growth potential, while KO prioritizes dividend reliability.
- Tickeron's AI robots highlight sector-tailored strategies, with some achieving up to 124% annualized returns in related areas like consumer goods.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines KO (Coca-Cola Company), a global beverage leader, and KR (Kroger Co.), a major U.S. grocery retailer. Both operate in the consumer defensive sector, offering stability amid market volatility, but differ in business models—beverage innovation versus retail expansion. Traders seeking relative performance insights and investors focused on dividends or growth in staples will find value here, particularly as recent earnings and pricing dynamics shape sentiment in a high-interest-rate environment. This analysis draws on verifiable data for objective positioning.
KO Overview and Recent Performance
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is a multinational beverage firm with segments spanning North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and bottling investments. Its portfolio includes iconic brands like Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta, emphasizing sparkling soft drinks, waters, juices, and teas. In recent market activity, KO shares have traded in a 52-week range of $65.35 to $82.00, closing around $74.67 amid a roughly 6% monthly pullback. Year-to-date returns hover at 7-8%, supported by YTD gains outperforming the S&P 500 in some metrics. Sentiment has been influenced by strong revenue growth from pricing power, product launches like Fairlife expansions, and digital initiatives, though operating margins dipped to 28.71% in recent quarters due to cost pressures. Valuation metrics, including a P/E of 22.94x and debt-to-equity of 1.28, signal relative attractiveness and financial stability.
KR Overview and Recent Performance
The Kroger Co. (KR) operates as a leading U.S. food and drug retailer, managing over 2,700 supermarkets, pharmacies, and fuel centers across 35 states. It emphasizes omnichannel shopping with digital ecosystems for groceries, pharmaceuticals, and merchandise. Recent performance has been resilient, with shares reaching 52-week highs near $76.58 before settling around $71.88, reflecting YTD gains of about 17%. Q4 revenue reached $34.7 billion, with gross margins improving to 23.1%, though net margins at 1.82% highlight competitive and cost challenges. Broader momentum stems from pharmacy enhancements, product expansions like premium ice cream, and post-merger adjustments, driving outperformance versus retail peers despite sales forecasts slightly missing expectations. Valuation remains compelling at a P/E of 16.40x and EV/EBITDA of 7.41x, with a debt-to-equity of 2.56 underscoring leverage amid growth initiatives.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases the platform's top-performing AI trading bots, curated from hundreds available that trade thousands of tickers across diverse strategies. Only the most suitable for current conditions—factoring in win rates up to 83%, profit factors exceeding 3.0, and annualized returns ranging from 19% to over 124%—earn a spot in this dynamic section. These bots employ varied styles like swing trading on 15-minute to daily timeframes, pattern recognition, and multi-asset approaches in sectors such as semiconductors, energy, and defense, with profit-to-drawdown ratios often above 5 and average durations of 2-6 days. Some target consumer-related tickers indirectly through staples or retail proxies. Traders can explore these for real-time signals and copy trading via Tickeron’s brokerage. Visit the Trending AI Robots page to identify bots aligning with your market outlook.
Head-to-Head Comparison
KO and KR both anchor consumer defensive positioning but contrast sharply in models: KO's asset-light global franchising drives pricing leverage and 61.63% gross margins, versus KR's asset-heavy retail with 22.7% margins tied to volume and supply chains. Growth drivers diverge—KO via brand extensions and emerging markets, KR through digital sales and pharmacy amid e-commerce rivalry. Recent momentum favors KR with superior YTD returns and peaks, but KO exhibits lower volatility. Risk factors include commodity costs for KO and labor/competition for KR, with KR's higher debt amplifying sensitivity. Market sentiment leans toward KR's value (lower P/E) for cyclical recovery trades, while KO appeals for defensive stability.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors KR for its stronger recent momentum, higher YTD returns, and attractive valuation amid retail sector catalysts like margin gains and omnichannel growth. Observable trend consistency and relative positioning suggest a probabilistic edge over KO's steadier but pressured trajectory, though KO may regain favor in risk-off environments due to global diversification.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full Disclaimers and Limitations.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is KO is a Buy and KR is a StrongBuy.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
KO’s FA Score shows that 3 FA rating(s) are green whileKR’s FA Score has 3 green FA rating(s).
- KO’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- KR’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
KO’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KR’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- KO’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
- KR’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
KO (@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic) experienced а +7.43% price change this week, while KR (@Food Retail) price change was +3.02% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Beverages: Non-Alcoholic industry was +1.76%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.11%, and the average quarterly price growth was +6.90%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food Retail industry was +1.19%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +4.44%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.71%.
Reported Earning Dates
KO is expected to report earnings on Jul 28, 2026.
KR is expected to report earnings on Jun 18, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic (+1.76% weekly)Non-alcoholic drinks include traces of alcohol or low alcohol content or without alcohol or alcohol removed. Functional Beverages, Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs), Sports Drinks, Fruit Beverages, and Bottled Water are some common types of non-alcoholic beverages. The largest segment in this market is soft drinks (think Pepsi and Coke). Many established companies in this space have also been stepping up production of low to zero-calorie varieties in recent years, to cater to a rising number of health-conscious consumers. Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico Inc, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. and Monster Beverage Corporation are some major non-alcoholic beverage makers.
@Food Retail (+1.19% weekly)The food retail industry includes companies that sell food, beverage and household products. Items sold include grocery, gourmet food, fresh produce, and frozen food. Kroger Co., George Weston Ltd., Grocery Outlet Holding Corp., and Sprouts Farmers Markets, Inc. are examples of major food retailers. While e-commerce companies like Amazon have increasingly been ramping-up offerings in the food retail space, several traditional players have also been expanding their online presence to stand their ground against rising competition.
| KO | KR | KO / KR | |
| Capitalization | 355B | 39.5B | 899% |
| EBITDA | 19.2B | 5.76B | 333% |
| Gain YTD | 18.863 | 3.683 | 512% |
| P/E Ratio | 25.95 | 41.64 | 62% |
| Revenue | 49.3B | 148B | 33% |
| Total Cash | 13.8B | 879M | 1,570% |
| Total Debt | 43.9B | 24.7B | 178% |
KO | KR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 22 | 14 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 57 Fair valued | 16 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 9 | 27 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 21 | 61 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 29 | 58 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 62 | 8 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
KR's Valuation (16) in the Food Retail industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KO (57) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KR’s stock grew somewhat faster than KO’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Profit vs Risk Rating (9) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as KR (27) in the Food Retail industry. This means that KO’s stock grew similarly to KR’s over the last 12 months.
KO's SMR Rating (21) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KR (61) in the Food Retail industry. This means that KO’s stock grew somewhat faster than KR’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Price Growth Rating (29) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as KR (58) in the Food Retail industry. This means that KO’s stock grew similarly to KR’s over the last 12 months.
KR's P/E Growth Rating (8) in the Food Retail industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KO (62) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KR’s stock grew somewhat faster than KO’s over the last 12 months.
| KO | KR | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 46% | 2 days ago 54% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 28% | 2 days ago 72% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 38% | 2 days ago 63% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 39% | 2 days ago 67% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 40% | 2 days ago 62% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 38% | 2 days ago 56% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 41% | 3 days ago 57% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 11 days ago 30% | 12 days ago 48% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 27% | 2 days ago 59% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 30% | 2 days ago 60% |
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KO and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KO has been loosely correlated with PEP. These tickers have moved in lockstep 55% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KO jumps, then PEP could also see price increases.
KR and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KR has been loosely correlated with ACI. These tickers have moved in lockstep 58% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KR jumps, then ACI could also see price increases.