Publix is one of the largest grocery store operators in the U.S. It also routinely rates highly with customers as one of the best grocery stores.
The company's ownership culture has much to do with its high customer ratings. Publix is an employee-owned company. George Jenkins founded Publix in 1930 and wanted its employees to share in owning the company because he believed they'd take better care of it and its customers.
That vision has served Publix well over the years. The company has steadily grown value for its employee-owners as they have helped increase its sales and profits.
The company's success in growing shareholder value has many outside investors hoping it will eventually complete an initial public offering (IPO) so they can buy shares. Here's a look at everything you need to know about how to invest in Publix if it goes public and alternative ways to invest in stocks similar to Publix.
IPO
Is Publix publicly traded?
Publix is not a publicly traded company. It's privately owned by the founder's family and past and present employees. Publix created an employee stock purchase plan in 1959 so that employees could buy shares, and it has since remained private.
When will Publix IPO?
Publix didn't have an IPO on the calendar as of late 2025. The grocery store operator likely won't go public soon, if ever. The employees would have to decide collectively to take the company public, which would likely significantly affect Publix's culture.
Jenkins believed that if employees owned the company, they'd take better care of it and work hard to improve it every day. However, if outside shareholders owned the company, their focus would likely be on maximizing profitability, potentially at employees' expense.
How to buy Publix stock
Unless you are a current eligible Publix employee, you can't buy shares of the grocery store operator. Current eligible Publix associates can buy shares of the company during designated periods. Eligible employees must complete a stock purchase agreement on the Publix website during an offering period to buy shares.
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Although the general public can't buy Publix stock, they can consider alternative options. Three top grocery and retail stocks worth a look include:
Costco
Costco (COST +0.70%) operates membership warehouses. The company's warehouses provide members with low-priced groceries, health and beauty products, jewelry, furniture, housewares, televisions, and other items. Costco operated more than 910 warehouses in late 2025, including 626 in the U.S. The company rang up more than $185 billion in net sales and membership fees in its first three quarters of 2025, an 8.2% increase from the prior year.
Kroger
Kroger (KR +1.48%) is one of the largest grocery store operators in the country. It operated 2,707 supermarkets and multi-department stores as of late 2025. The company operates several grocery store banners, including Kroger, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, and Fred Meyer. The company's net sales totaled $147.1 billion in fiscal year 2024.
Walmart
Walmart (WMT +0.77%) is the largest retailer in the country, with roughly $681 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025. It operates about 10,750 stores in 19 countries and several e-commerce sites. In addition to groceries, Walmart sells household items, clothing, electronics, and more.
Investors who want to buy one of these Publix competitors can purchase shares in any brokerage account. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to invest in grocery stocks like Publix.
- Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
Is Publix profitable?
Although Publix is a private company, it files quarterly financial results with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The reports show that Publix is solidly profitable.
Publix reported its second-quarter 2025 results in June 2025. The company generated $15.7 billion of revenue during that period, up 4.9% from the prior year. Meanwhile, revenue for the first nine months of the year was $44.4 billion, up about 7% from the year-ago period. The company reported $1.38 billion of net income during the period, or $0.42 per share, a 29.3% increase.
Publix's profitability enables it to retain earnings to fund its expansion internally, allowing it to remain private. The company also returns some of its profits to shareholders each quarter by paying dividends. The company's current dividend rate is $0.1105 per share each quarter.
Should I invest in Publix?
If you are a Publix employee, you should consider investing in its stock. Buying shares allows you to become part owner of a company with a long history of growing value for its owners.
For example, Publix's share price has increased from a split-adjusted $9.78 per share in March 2020 to $21.15 per share as of September 2025. In addition, you can take advantage of the quarterly dividend Publix pays its investors.
Although past performance is no guarantee of future success, Publix has a long history of profitably reinvesting the earnings it retains to grow shareholder value by expanding its store count. For instance, the company spent $2.5 billion in 2024 opening 43 supermarkets and remodeling 117.
ETFs with exposure to Publix
Many investors prefer to invest passively instead of actively managing a portfolio of stocks. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a great way to be a passive investor.
Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)
Unfortunately, you can't passively invest in Publix through an ETF because it's not a publicly traded company. However, you can use ETFs to invest in the retail sector, which has driven Publix's growth and returns for its private shareholders over the years. Two top retail ETFs to consider are:
- SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT -0.43%): This ETF aims to track the retail segment of the S&P total market index. The ETF held the shares of 76 companies in late 2025. The fund has a 0.35% gross ETF expense ratio.
- VanEck Retail ETF (RTH -0.66%): This ETF focuses on the top 25 U.S. retail stocks. Its holdings include Costco (7.8% of the fund's assets), Walmart (9.24%), and Kroger (2.4%). This ETF also has a 0.35% expense ratio.
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The bottom line on Publix
Publix has had a lot of success as a private, employee-owned company. It has steadily increased its profits and share price by reinvesting its retained earnings into expanding its footprint.
Given its success, the company will likely maintain the status quo. Although that means public market investors probably won't ever get the chance to own shares, it can continue to grow value for its employees by sticking with its successful strategy.
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