KROGER CO vs UNITED NATURAL FOODS, INC., two Grocery stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Kroger sells groceries to shoppers; United Natural Foods distributes natural and organic products to the stores that stock them. Both run at the thin end of profitability, but from different positions. Kroger keeps 0.71% of sales and earns a steady 16.26% on equity. UNFI runs near breakeven, a slight loss on a lean operation, yet it throws off a 10.68% free cash yield against Kroger's 7.98%, a reminder that cash and reported profit are not the same thing. Kroger is much larger at $35.5B against $3.1B and trades at 5.48 times book where UNFI fetches just 1.93. Kroger pays a 2.37% dividend; UNFI pays none as it works through a turnaround.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | KR | UNFI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $60.55 | $48.78 |
| Market cap | $37.2B | $3.1B |
| Sector | Grocery | Grocery |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +18.3% |
| P/B | 5.75 | 1.91 |
| P/S | 0.25 | 0.10 |
| EV/EBITDA | 9.7 | 12.7 |
| Revenue growth | +1.1% | -3.2% |
| Gross margin | — | 13.6% |
| Operating margin | 3.0% | 0.8% |
| Net margin | 0.7% | -0.1% |
| Return on equity | 16.3% | -2.4% |
| Return on assets | 2.1% | -0.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 6.7% | 1.5% |
| FCF yield | 7.6% | 10.8% |
| Dividend yield | 2.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 2.51 | 1.04 |
| Current ratio | 0.79 | 1.33 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.29 | 5.04 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.