Kroger Co. /zigman2/quotes/206215053/composite KR +1.38% announced a dividend hike on Thursday, bringing the full-year dividend to 84 cents from 72 cents previously. The next quarterly dividend of 21 cents will be paid on Sept. 1, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 13, 2021. Kroger stock has gained 23.6% for the year to date while the S&P 500 index /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime SPX +0.01% is up 13.5% for the period.

