CINCINNATI, Jan. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger
Co.'s (NYSE: KR) Board of Directors today declared a quarterly
dividend of 12.5¢ per share to be paid on March 1, 2018 to shareholders of record as of the
close of business on February 15,
2018.
Kroger's quarterly dividend has grown at a compound annual
growth rate of 13.0% since reinstating the dividend in 2006. The
company continues to expect, subject to board approval, an
increasing dividend over time. Kroger remains committed to
balancing its use of cash flow over the near term to achieve the
leverage ratios appropriate to maintain its current
investment-grade rating level.
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose:
to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are 453,000
associates who serve nearly nine million customers every day in
2,793 retail food stores under a variety of local banner
names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our
Family of Companies operates an expanding ClickList offering – a
personalized order online service – in addition to 2,258
pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine jewelry stores, 222
retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food
production plants in the United
States. Our Company has been recognized as one of America's
most generous companies for our support of more than 100 Feeding
America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness,
the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community
organizations including schools. As a leader in supplier diversity,
we are a proud member of the Billion Dollar
Roundtable.
This press release contains a forward-looking statement, as
that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, about the future performance of the company. This
statement is based on management's assumptions and beliefs in light
of the information currently available to it. Such statement is
indicated by the word "expect." Our ability to continue to
increase our dividend over time, will be affected by our inability
to generate free cash flow at the levels anticipated and our
failure to generate expected operating results. This
forward-looking statement is subject to uncertainties and other
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. We
assume no obligation to update the information contained herein.
Please refer to Kroger's reports and filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of these risks and
uncertainties.
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kroger-board-of-directors-declares-quarterly-dividend-300585395.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.