Kroger CEO Suddenly Resigns Before Quarterly Report

Core Insights - Kroger Co's CEO Rodney McMullen has resigned amid an investigation into his personal conduct, which the board deemed inconsistent with the company's ethics policy [1] - The resignation comes just before Kroger's fourth-quarter earnings report, scheduled for March 6, which may impact stock performance [1] - Kroger's stock saw a slight increase of 0.2% in premarket trading following a price-target increase from Deutsche Bank [1] Stock Performance - Historically, Kroger's stock has shown strong post-earnings performance, with only two losses in the last eight earnings reports [2] - The average stock movement post-earnings has been 4.3% over the last two years, but current options pricing indicates an expected swing of 8.4% for the upcoming report [2] Market Dynamics - If current gains hold, Kroger shares could achieve their third gain in four sessions, reflecting a 27.9% year-over-year increase [3] - The stock has found support at the 40-day moving average, which has helped mitigate losses since reaching a record peak of $66.26 on February 24 [3] - There is potential for a short squeeze, as 6.7 million shares are sold short, representing 6% of the stock's float, indicating significant buying power [3]