Changes in US stocks | Q3 same-store sales fell short of expectations, Kroger (KR.US) fell more than 4%

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on Thursday, after announcing the latest Q3 earnings report, the same store sales growth rate was slightly lower than market expectations. The stock price of American supermarket giant Kroger (KR.US) declined. As of press release, the stock had fallen by more than 4% to $63.42. Financial reports showed that Kroger's same-store sales after excluding fuel increased 2.6% year-on-year during the quarter, lower than Wall Street's forecast of 2.9%. However, the company's profit performance was steady. The adjusted FIFO operating profit was US$1.09 billion, up from US$1.02 billion in the same period last year. Earnings per share (EPS) was $1.05, exceeding market expectations of $1.03 and higher than $0.98 in the same period last year.

The gross margin performance was impressive. Overall gross margin for the quarter rose to 22.8%, compared to 22.4% in the same period last year; excluding rent, depreciation and amortization, and fuel, FIFO gross margin increased 49 basis points year over year.