# How Kroger (KR) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/kr
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on KR alone. It places KR (The Kroger Co.) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where KR stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: KR's full trading record, from October 1986 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** KR has gone against the market, falling 6.1% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. Its grocery store peers split over the past 6 months: TGT (Target) rose 20.3%, while ACI (Albertsons Companies) fell 17.0%.
- **Stock or market?:** KR rose 8.7% over the past 3 months, 4.6 points ahead of the grocery stores ETF XLP (State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF), which rose 4.1%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its grocery store peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: GO (Grocery Outlet Holding) rose 40.3%, while WMT (Walmart) rose 5.3%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, KR fell 6.9% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (52.6% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** KR turned $10,000 into $25,100 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** The Covid crash took 13.0% off KR, against 33.7% for the S&P 500, and less than grocery store peers such as TGT (Target, 21.7%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, KR has a correlation of 0.25 over 5 years, less closely than 80% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier. Over 10 years, KR's beta versus the S&P 500 was 0.40: 49% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 36% of its losses in falling ones.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** COST (Costco Wholesale) and WMT (Walmart) earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years. COST returned 17.4% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 12.3% a year at 27.3%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** FMX (Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., convenience stores) earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years: 14.0% a year at 25.7% volatility, against 12.3% a year at 27.3%.
  - **Whole market:** 178 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway), BRK-A (Berkshire Hathaway) and WMT (Walmart).

## How much would $10,000 in KR have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in KR over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of KR over the same span and KR's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in KR at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $112,086 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Seven of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of KR, and COST finished highest, at $727,732.

## KR at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- KR's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 66.8%, from March 1999 to October 2002. It took about ten years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, KR's best was 2014, when it returned 64.8%, and its worst was 1999, when it lost 37.7%. It lost money in seven of those years.
- KR is 15.7% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Consumer Staples (Grocery Stores)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $37B
- Volatility (5 years): 27.3%; Sharpe ratio: 0.56
- Worst decline ever: −66.8%, from March 18, 1999 to October 9, 2002; back at its high by March 8, 2013

| Period | KR total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +5.5% |
| 3 months | +8.7% |
| 6 months | −6.1% |
| year to date | +1.8% |
| 1 year | −6.9% |
| 3 years | +52.6% |
| 5 years | +78.5% |
| 10 years | +151% |

## KR against the whole market

Where KR ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does KR rank among all stocks?

This section ranks KR on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- KR's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 12% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | KR | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −6.9% | 2,245 of 3,287 (top 69%) |
| 3-year return | +52.6% | 1,499 of 3,017 (top 50%) |
| 5-year return | +78.5% | 832 of 2,893 (top 29%) |
| 10-year return | +151% | 1,078 of 2,202 (top 49%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 27.3% | 498 of 2,893 (top 18%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.56 | 771 of 2,893 (top 27%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −43.8% | 254 of 2,187 (top 12%) |

### What has beaten KR on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 81 stocks and 97 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than KR over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 5% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half KR's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 9% less than KR's 27.3%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.56 for KR.
- Among KR's popular alternatives, WMT and COST are in the region. WMT earned 20.8% a year against 12.3% a year for KR, at 22.6% volatility, 17% less than KR's 27.3%.

### Is there a better investment than KR?

The table below lists investments that beat KR over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among KR's popular alternatives, COST and WMT earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years. COST returned 17.4% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 12.3% a year at 27.3%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, FMX (convenience stores) earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years: 14.0% a year at 25.7% volatility, against 12.3% a year at 27.3%.
- Across the whole market, 178 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them BRK-B, BRK-A and WMT.

The 15 strongest of 178 investments that beat KR over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with KR | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| KR: The Kroger Co. (this page) |  | +12.3% | 27.3% | 0.56 | −43.8% | +151% |  |  |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | US Large-Cap Growth | +14.5% | 23.0% | 0.71 | −35.1% | +553% | 0.12 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | Pharmaceuticals | +17.1% | 20.7% | 0.87 | −26.8% | +226% | 0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | Biotechnology | +19.6% | 24.9% | 0.85 | −24.9% | +266% | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Biotechnology | +22.8% | 24.9% | 0.95 | −30.5% | +200% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +21.3% | 25.6% | 0.89 | −30.3% | +816% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MNST](https://easycompare.io/research/mnst): Monster Beverage Corporation | Food & Beverages | +17.2% | 24.9% | 0.77 | −30.4% | +285% | 0.05 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MSI](https://easycompare.io/research/msi): Motorola Solutions, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +14.8% | 23.6% | 0.71 | −32.8% | +625% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [FAST](https://easycompare.io/research/fast): Fastenal Company | Industrial Distribution | +15.8% | 24.6% | 0.72 | −30.7% | +576% | 0.50 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [DYNF](https://easycompare.io/research/dynf): iShares U.S. Equity Factor Rotation Active ETF | US Multifactor Equity | +14.7% | 17.5% | 0.87 | −34.7% | — | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## KR against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against KR, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do KR's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only WMT and COST were both more rewarding and calmer than KR over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, KR returned 12.3% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (27.3% against 17.1%).

### Has KR consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares KR with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Six of the 20 popular alternatives, led by COST, CASY and WMT, outperformed KR in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- COST outperformed KR in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- CASY, WMT and COST earned more for the risk they took than KR (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of KR | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| KR: The Kroger Co. (this page) | −6.9% | +52.6% | +78.5% | +151% |  |  | 0.56 |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | +6.9% | +87.2% | +123% | +685% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.82 |
| CASY: Casey's General Stores, Inc. | +21.7% | +165% | +270% | +537% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.04 |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | +11.0% | +130% | +158% | +508% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.96 |
| [TGT](https://easycompare.io/research/tgt): Target Corporation | +75.1% | +58.0% | −28.5% | +207% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.00 |
| PSMT: PriceSmart, Inc. | +43.2% | +153% | +135% | +124% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.75 |
| VLGEA: Village Super Market, Inc. | +33.4% | +94.5% | +127% | +96.3% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.72 |
| NGVC: Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. | −23.9% | +155% | +195% | +250% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.68 |
| SFM: Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. | −41.4% | +52.7% | +191% | +202% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| UNFI: United Natural Foods, Inc. | +12.5% | +204% | +5.4% | +13.2% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| [SYY](https://easycompare.io/research/syy): Sysco Corporation | +6.7% | +37.6% | +18.7% | +126% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| [MDLZ](https://easycompare.io/research/mdlz): Mondelez International, Inc. | +5.5% | +9.2% | +21.5% | +93.4% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| BJ: BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. | +9.0% | +47.7% | +75.3% | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.51 |
| GO: Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. | −17.4% | −52.8% | −43.5% | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| IMKTA: Ingles Markets, Incorporated | +15.4% | +8.1% | +35.2% | +136% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| DG: Dollar General Corporation | +28.5% | +24.2% | −32.0% | +127% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.01 |
| WMK: Weis Markets, Inc. | +10.6% | +22.0% | +53.4% | +69.4% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.44 |
| DLTR: Dollar Tree, Inc. | +26.2% | +13.1% | +23.3% | +64.7% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.31 |
| KHC: The Kraft Heinz Company | −0.9% | −10.0% | −16.9% | −56.7% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| GIS: General Mills, Inc. | −26.8% | −38.8% | −34.5% | −19.1% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.26 |
| ACI: Albertsons Companies, Inc. | −28.6% | −33.6% | −29.2% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.07 |

### How did KR do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where KR ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- KR finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 15 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, CASY came out ahead of KR most often, in 20 of the 29 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, KR finished in the top quarter in five of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 21.

| Year | KR | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +4.2% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +36.9% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +5.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +0.4% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +45.4% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +11.9% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +7.9% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +2.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | −19.0% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −16.4% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How KR has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were KR's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- Not every decline was the market's doing: KR fell 52.0% from December 2015 to September 2017, while the S&P 500 rose 24.3%.
- The slowest recovery came after KR fell 66.8% from March 1999 to October 2002; it did not regain that peak until March 2013, ten years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −66.8% | March 18, 1999 | October 9, 2002 | March 8, 2013 | −38.2% | dot-com bust |
| −53.6% | March 28, 1991 | August 20, 1992 | February 14, 1994 | — |  |
| −52.0% | December 29, 2015 | September 25, 2017 | May 10, 2021 | +24.3% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |
| −44.5% | September 8, 1989 | October 16, 1990 | February 11, 1991 | — |  |
| −40.7% | July 20, 1987 | December 7, 1987 | September 12, 1988 | — |  |

### How did KR do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far KR, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- Among its popular alternatives, GIS held up best, falling less than KR in seven of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- KR fell less than the S&P 500 in five of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when KR fell 13.0% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

| Crash | Dates | KR fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −58.3% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −35.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.2% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −13.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −14.3% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.0% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −14.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −13.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −29.6% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.3% | −3.4% |

### How closely does KR move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, KR captured 49% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 36% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.40. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- SFM took just 27% of the S&P 500's losses, against 36% for KR, while still keeping 54% of its gains.
- Four of the 16 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than KR's 1.34, led by WMT, SFM and CASY.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| KR: The Kroger Co. (this page) | 49.0% | 36.0% | 0.40 |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | 93.0% | 50.0% | 0.77 |
| CASY: Casey's General Stores, Inc. | 80.0% | 43.0% | 0.73 |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | 74.0% | 36.0% | 0.53 |
| [TGT](https://easycompare.io/research/tgt): Target Corporation | 83.0% | 87.0% | 1.00 |
| PSMT: PriceSmart, Inc. | 68.0% | 79.0% | 0.80 |
| VLGEA: Village Super Market, Inc. | 41.0% | 32.0% | 0.28 |
| NGVC: Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. | 76.0% | 58.0% | 1.24 |
| SFM: Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. | 54.0% | 27.0% | 0.47 |
| UNFI: United Natural Foods, Inc. | 65.0% | 120% | 1.02 |
| [SYY](https://easycompare.io/research/syy): Sysco Corporation | 76.0% | 100% | 1.02 |
| [MDLZ](https://easycompare.io/research/mdlz): Mondelez International, Inc. | 45.0% | 55.0% | 0.52 |
| IMKTA: Ingles Markets, Incorporated | 50.0% | 39.0% | 0.57 |
| DG: Dollar General Corporation | 46.0% | 46.0% | 0.37 |
| WMK: Weis Markets, Inc. | 16.0% | −6.0% | 0.28 |
| DLTR: Dollar Tree, Inc. | 52.0% | 79.0% | 0.75 |
| KHC: The Kraft Heinz Company | 19.0% | 100% | 0.58 |
| GIS: General Mills, Inc. | 22.0% | 65.0% | 0.27 |

### What diversifies KR?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in KR into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+10.1% for KR alone, +13.8% for the mix).
- FIX made money in five of the seven calendar years in which KR lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and HDV have moved largely independently of KR over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with KR | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in KR's 7 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.33 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 7 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.14 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 7 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.46 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 7 |
| MLPX: Global X - MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF | 0.44 | +135% | 19.7% | 0.97 | 1 of 7 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | -0.01 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 7 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.19 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 7 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.32 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 3 of 7 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.06 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 7 |

## Common questions

### What was KR's worst drawdown?

KR's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 66.8%, from March 1999 to October 2002. It took about ten years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were KR's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, KR's best year was 2014, when it returned 64.8%. Its worst was 1999, with a return of -37.7%.

### Is there a better investment than KR?

Among KR's popular alternatives, COST and WMT earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years. COST returned 17.4% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 12.3% a year at 27.3%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, FMX (convenience stores) earned more than KR with less volatility over the past 5 years: 14.0% a year at 25.7% volatility, against 12.3% a year at 27.3%.

### Is KR more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. KR's volatility over the past 5 years was 27.3%, 1.6 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, KR's return lands within 27.3% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is KR's Sharpe ratio?

KR's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.56, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so KR earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is KR with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, KR's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.25 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against KR instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a KR holding.

### What are the best alternatives to KR?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, six outperformed KR in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: COST, CASY and WMT.

### Did KR outperform the S&P 500?

KR finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 15 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +4.2%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did KR do in stock market crashes?

KR fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in five of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when KR fell 13.0% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

### What diversifies KR?

These had a low correlation with KR over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.33), DXJ (correlation 0.14) and HDV (correlation 0.46); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.17), CLS (correlation -0.01) and FIX (correlation 0.14). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/kr
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against KR live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=KR&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research