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KR vs PEP
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Kroger (KR) vs. PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- KR shares have surged over 10% in recent weeks, hitting 52-week highs near $74.90, driven by strong Q4 earnings beats and AI investments, with YTD gains of 19.21%.
- PEP trades around $159, showing YTD returns of 12.08% but recent softening amid volume pressures, supported by product innovations like protein snacks.
- Both consumer staples offer stability, but KR exhibits stronger recent momentum with a lower P/E around 16x versus PEP's 26x.
- PEP provides a higher dividend yield near 3.5% compared to KR's roughly 2%, appealing to income investors.
- Market caps differ markedly: PEP at $218B dwarfs KR's $47B, reflecting global scale versus regional retail focus.
- Recent AI pushes at KR and health-focused launches at PEP signal adaptation to digital and consumer trends.
Introduction
This stock comparison between KR (Kroger) and PEP (PepsiCo) examines two consumer staples leaders amid shifting market dynamics. KR, a major U.S. grocery retailer, and PEP, a global beverages and snacks powerhouse, offer defensive exposure to essential goods. Traders seeking relative performance edges in volatile conditions and investors eyeing stability with dividends will find value in their contrasts: retail resilience versus branded consumer products. Recent earnings, innovations, and sentiment shifts provide timely insights into their stock comparison and market positioning.
KR Overview and Recent Performance
The Kroger Co. (KR) operates over 2,700 supermarkets under banners like Kroger, Ralphs, and Fred Meyer, emphasizing grocery retail with fuel centers, pharmacies, and digital services. Its business model centers on scale, private labels, and e-commerce growth to capture everyday essentials demand.
In recent market activity, KR shares have shown robust upward momentum, climbing from the mid-60s to 52-week highs near $74.90, with gains exceeding 10% over recent weeks. This surge follows Q4 earnings that topped estimates, highlighted by 20% e-commerce sales growth despite revenue shortfalls. Sentiment has brightened on strategic AI initiatives, including appointing a Chief Data and AI Officer to embed agentic capabilities enterprise-wide and expanding Google Cloud's Gemini for personalized shopping assistants. These developments, alongside store optimizations, have bolstered investor confidence in operational efficiency and digital transformation, driving relative outperformance versus broader indices.
PEP Overview and Recent Performance
PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) is a global leader in beverages and convenient foods, with segments spanning PepsiCo Beverages North America, Frito-Lay, Quaker, and international operations. Its model leverages iconic brands like Pepsi, Gatorade, Lay's, and Doritos, generating nearly $94 billion in annual revenue through diversified, high-margin products sold worldwide.
PEP stock has maintained stability around $159 in recent weeks, posting YTD returns of 12.08% amid broader market turbulence. Performance reflects mixed quarterly results with EPS beats but volume declines, offset by pricing and innovation. Key drivers include launches like Doritos Protein (10-17g protein per serving), Gatorade Lower Sugar (75% less sugar, no artificial additives), and high-protein snacks to align with health trends. While facing snack category pressures, affordability efforts and portfolio shifts toward functional beverages have sustained sentiment, positioning PEP as a resilient consumer staples play with global reach.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
KR and PEP both anchor consumer staples but diverge in models: KR's asset-heavy retail faces thin margins (1.82% net) and competition from discounters, while PEP's branded CPG enjoys higher gross margins (54%) via pricing power and global distribution.
Growth drivers contrast: KR leans on e-commerce (20% rise) and AI personalization; PEP on functional innovations amid health shifts. Recent momentum favors KR (19% YTD vs. 12%), with lower beta (0.59) signaling stability akin to PEP (0.38-0.42).
Risk factors include KR's debt (2.56 D/E) and liquidity (0.88 current ratio) versus PEP's volume softness; valuations show KR cheaper at 16x P/E, 2% yield versus PEP's 26x, 3.5% yield. Sector exposure unites them in defensives, but sentiment tilts to KR's catalysts.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors KR over PEP, based on superior recent trend consistency, earnings momentum, and undervaluation at lower multiples amid AI-driven efficiencies. While PEP offers dividend appeal and scale, KR's relative positioning and catalysts suggest higher probability of near-term outperformance in consumer staples rotation.
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 disclaimer. 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 KR is a StrongBuy and PEP is a Buy.
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).
KR’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whilePEP’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- KR’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- PEP’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 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.
KR’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while PEP’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- KR’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
- PEP’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
KR (@Food Retail) experienced а -2.76% price change this week, while PEP (@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic) price change was +0.31% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food Retail industry was +0.96%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.32%, and the average quarterly price growth was +3.18%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Beverages: Non-Alcoholic industry was +2.02%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -3.13%, and the average quarterly price growth was +164976.25%.
Reported Earning Dates
KR is expected to report earnings on Jun 11, 2026.
PEP is expected to report earnings on Apr 16, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Food Retail (+0.96% 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.
@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic (+2.02% 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.
| KR | PEP | KR / PEP | |
| Capitalization | 43.1B | 215B | 20% |
| EBITDA | 5.43B | 15.5B | 35% |
| Gain YTD | 13.161 | 10.714 | 123% |
| P/E Ratio | 45.68 | 26.25 | 174% |
| Revenue | 147B | 93.9B | 157% |
| Total Cash | 879M | 9.53B | 9% |
| Total Debt | 25.2B | 49.9B | 51% |
KR | PEP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 55 | 57 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 57 Fair valued | 26 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 21 | 55 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 77 | 22 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 50 | 52 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 8 | 35 | |
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.
PEP's Valuation (26) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as KR (57) in the Food Retail industry. This means that PEP’s stock grew similarly to KR’s over the last 12 months.
KR's Profit vs Risk Rating (21) in the Food Retail industry is somewhat better than the same rating for PEP (55) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KR’s stock grew somewhat faster than PEP’s over the last 12 months.
PEP's SMR Rating (22) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KR (77) in the Food Retail industry. This means that PEP’s stock grew somewhat faster than KR’s over the last 12 months.
KR's Price Growth Rating (50) in the Food Retail industry is in the same range as PEP (52) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KR’s stock grew similarly to PEP’s over the last 12 months.
KR's P/E Growth Rating (8) in the Food Retail industry is in the same range as PEP (35) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KR’s stock grew similarly to PEP’s over the last 12 months.
| KR | PEP | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 58% | 1 day ago 42% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 47% | 1 day ago 45% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 41% | 1 day ago 46% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 47% | 1 day ago 41% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 53% | 1 day ago 44% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 57% | 1 day ago 39% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 46% | 3 days ago 43% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 69% | 1 day ago 52% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 39% |
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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 57% 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.