HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The parent company of Dillon’s stores showed positive numbers in 
the first quarter. Kroger surprised investment analysts by posting first-quarter earnings per share growth of 15 percent.
The nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, turned in a profit of $619 million, or $1.25 per share. That’s up from $557 million, or $1.09 per share, in the year-ago quarter. Analysts had expected Kroger to earn $1.21 per share, according to Zacks Investment Research Inc. Kroger has now beaten analysts’ forecasts by an average of 8 percent over the previous four quarters.
Kroger’s same-store sales jumped 5.78 percent, far ahead of most of its peers, giving it an industry-leading 46 consecutive quarters of same-store sales gains.
Kroger’s revenue inched up 0.3 percent to $33.1 billion from $33 billion a year ago. That fell a bit shy of analysts’ estimates of $33.3 billion in sales.