Financial Performance - Underlying net income reached $1.047 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year[163, 182] - Reported net income was $1.106 billion, an 18% decrease year-over-year[163, 182] - New business CSM increased by 16% to $446 million, driven by strong sales in Asia[163, 182] - Total AUM increased by 7% year-over-year to $1.623 trillion[6, 29, 182] Business Segment Highlights - Asset management & wealth underlying net income increased by 5% year-over-year to $500 million[29, 182] - Individual - Protection underlying net income increased by 25% year-over-year to $361 million[29, 182] - Group - Health & Protection underlying net income decreased by 18% year-over-year to $284 million[29, 182] Capital Management - SLF Inc's LICAT ratio increased to 154%, up 3 percentage points from the previous quarter[29, 83, 182] - The financial leverage ratio is at 21.6%[29, 83, 182] - Holdco cash stands at $2.1 billion[33, 83]

Core Insights - The Kroger Co. reported second-quarter fiscal 2025 results that exceeded earnings expectations but fell short on sales, driven by strengths in e-commerce, pharmacy, and fresh offerings, leading to an upward revision in sales and earnings outlook for the fiscal year [1][10][12] Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings were $1.04 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.00 and improving from 93 cents in the prior-year quarter [2] - Total sales for the quarter were $33,940 million, nearly flat year over year, but below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $34,123 million; excluding fuel and divested pharmacy business, sales increased by 3.8% year over year [3] - E-commerce sales increased by 16% year over year, following a 15% gain in the first quarter, indicating successful digital investments [4] Margin and Profitability - Gross margin expanded to 22.5%, up from 22.1% in the year-ago quarter, supported by reduced supply-chain costs and lower shrink [5] - Adjusted FIFO operating profit reached $1,091 million, up from $984 million in the previous year, while reported operating profit was $863 million compared to $815 million last year [6] Financial Position - Kroger ended the quarter with cash and temporary cash investments totaling $4,883 million, total debt of $17,959 million, and shareholders' equity of $9,277 million [7] - The net total debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio was 1.63, up from 1.24 a year ago, remaining below the target range of 2.30-2.50, indicating financial flexibility [8] Guidance and Outlook - The company raised its full-year guidance for identical sales growth without fuel to 2.7-3.4%, up from 2.25-3.25% [10] - Adjusted EPS guidance was increased to a range of $4.70 to $4.80, up from the previous $4.60-$4.80 [11] Strategic Execution - The results reflect Kroger's ability to navigate a competitive retail environment through digital acceleration, fresh assortment, and cost efficiencies, positioning the company for sustained shareholder value creation [12]