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.
Where KR and UNFI diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), KR reads -1.5% and UNFI reads +4.7%; on revenue growth, KR reads +1.5% and UNFI reads -2.0%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's KR price has a different growth bar priced in than UNFI (-1.5% implied for KR vs +4.7% for UNFI); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What KR's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). What UNFI's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | KR | UNFI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $61.63 | $44.53 |
| Market cap | $37.5B | $2.7B |
| Sector | Grocery | Grocery |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -1.5% | +4.7% |
| P/B | 6.41 | 1.66 |
| P/S | 0.25 | 0.09 |
| EV/EBITDA | 9.6 | 8.2 |
| Revenue growth | +1.5% | -2.0% |
| Gross margin | — | 13.7% |
| Operating margin | 2.8% | 0.9% |
| Net margin | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Return on equity | 18.6% | 5.2% |
| Return on assets | 2.2% | 1.2% |
| Return on invested capital | 7.5% | 5.0% |
| FCF yield | 6.4% | 12.0% |
| Dividend yield | 2.2% | — |
| Debt / equity | 2.63 | 0.96 |
| Current ratio | 0.70 | 1.29 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.31 | 5.04 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
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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.