Kroger Tumbles After Grocer Predicts Slower Growth This Year
- Roundy's stores weigh on growth following December acquisition
- Same-store sales increase misses estimates last quarter
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Kroger Co. fell the most in more than five years after the grocer predicted slower growth this year, hurt by pressure on prices and its merger with the Roundy’s chain.
Excluding fuel, same-store sales will rise 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent this year, the Cincinnati-based company said in a statement Thursday. The increase was 3.9 percent on that basis in the fourth quarter. Analysts had predicted a gain of 4.5 percent in the period, according to Consensus Metrix.