Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? Kroger is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Costco Wholesale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Kroger has raised its dividend for 19 consecutive years and Costco Wholesale has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years. Analyst RecommendationsThis is a summary of recent ratings for Kroger and Costco Wholesale, as reported by MarketBeat.com. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999.