Kroger on Thursday raised the lower end of its full-year earnings forecast and posted better-than-expected quarterly profit, as investments in online and delivery services paid off, sending its shares up nearly 10 percent in early trading.

Kroger — the largest US supermarket chain by stores and sales — has been closing underperforming stores and shifting away from areas where it does not have a strong presence. It has also been expanding home delivery, curbside pickup and self-checkout services under its turnaround program “Restock Kroger” to compete with Walmart and Amazon.

The company said first-quarter earnings per share was slightly ahead of its own expectations due to its tighter control over costs and revenue from services linked to its online operations.

“Restock Kroger is off to a fantastic start …,” chief executive officer Rodney McMullen said in a statement.

Kroger said the plan boosted online sales 66 percent in the first quarter.

The company raised the lower end of its adjusted profit forecast to a range of $2 to $2.15 per share from $1.95 to $2.15 per share previously.

First-quarter net earnings rose to $2.03 billion, or $2.37 per share, in the quarter from $303 million, or 32 cents per share, a year earlier, helped by the sale of nearly 800 of its convenience stores to EG Group for $2.15 billion.

Same-store sales, excluding fuel, rose 1.4 percent in the quarter.

Excluding one-time items, Kroger earned 73 cents per share, 10 cents above analysts’ estimate.