NEW YORK — Kroger Co. is raising its earnings outlook for the year after the nation’s largest traditional supermarket chain reported a third-quarter profit that topped Wall Street expectations.
The company, which also operates Fry’s, Food 4 Less and Ralphs, has been working to improve the shopping experience and build customer loyalty as it fends off competition from specialty grocers such as Whole Foods and big-box retailers such as Target, as well as dollar stores and drugstore chains.
As shopping habits change, the Cincinnati-based company has also been experimenting with new formats such as its larger “Mar- ketplace” stores that have a bigger footprint and sell general merchandise in addition to groceries.
It has also opened about a dozen smaller “Ruler” stores that focus on cheaper, private-label products.
Chief Executive Officer Dave Dillon has said Kroger’s supermarket format would continue to evolve to remain relevant. He noted that the boundaries between supermarkets, big-box retailers and dollar stores are blurring.
For the three months ending Nov. 3, the company said revenue at locations open at least a year rose 3.2 percent. The metric is a key gauge of health because it strips out the impact of newly opened and closed locations.
The company said it earned $316.5 million, or 60 cents per share, for the period. That compares with $195.9 million, or 33 cents per share, a year ago. The most recent quarter included gains from a settlement with Visa and MasterCard and a reduction in the company’s pension fund contributions.
Not including special items, the company earned 46 cents per share. Revenue rose 6 percent to $21.81 billion.
Analysts on average expected an adjusted profit of 43 cents per share on revenue of $21.55 billion, according to FactSet.
Kroger now expects to earn between $2.44 and $2.46 for the year, up from the previous range of $2.35 to $2.42.
Shares of The Kroger Co. rose $1.19, or 4.8 percent, to close Thursday at $26.25. The company operates more than 2,400 supermarkets and multi-department stores in the U.S.
Shares of Kroger competitor The Fresh Market Inc. plunged $7.46, or 12 percent, to $52.78, on Wednesday after the company’s fiscal thirdquarter profit fell short of analysts’ expectations. The shares fell 90 cents Thursday to close at $51.88.
Business, Pages 29 on 11/30/2012