Kroger Co. Q3 Profit Increases, beats estimates

(RTTNews) - Kroger Co. (KR) released a profit for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates.

The company's earnings came in at $646 million, or $0.88 per share. This compares with $398 million, or $0.55 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Excluding items, Kroger Co. reported adjusted earnings of $698 million or $0.95 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.91 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter fell 0.7% to $33.96 billion from $34.20 billion last year.

Kroger Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q3): $646 Mln. vs. $398 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $0.88 vs. $0.55 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.91 -Revenue (Q3): $33.96 Bln vs. $34.20 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $4.50 - $4.60