Who Owns Publix? How Employee Ownership Works
Chase Binnie
Publix Super Markets is a privately held, employee-owned company. Its shares are not listed on a public stock exchange, and there is no Publix ticker symbol.
Ownership is spread among Publix's employee benefit plans and eligible individual shareholders. Those holders include current and former associates, members of the company's board, certain family members and employee retirement plans. The largest publicly disclosed blocks are held through the Publix Employee Stock Ownership Plan and the company's 401(k) plan.
That makes “the employees own Publix” broadly correct, but it does not mean every employee owns the same amount of stock or that one employee plan owns the entire company.
Publix ownership at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is Publix publicly traded? | No |
| Who owns Publix? | Employee benefit plans and eligible individual shareholders, including current and former associates |
| Is there a Publix stock ticker? | No |
| Can the public buy Publix stock? | No |
| Largest disclosed shareholder | Publix Employee Stock Ownership Plan |
| Current CEO | Kevin Murphy |
| Board chairman | Todd Jones |
Publix describes itself as the largest employee-owned company in the United States.
How much of Publix do employees own?
Publix does not publish one simple percentage for all employee-related ownership because associates can hold shares through several channels.
According to Publix's 2026 proxy statement, as of February 3, 2026:
- The Publix Employee Stock Ownership Plan held 20.93% of the company's common stock.
- The Publix 401(k) Plan held 8.66%.
- Individual directors, officers, employees, former employees and other eligible holders owned additional shares outside those two plan-level totals.
Those two retirement plans therefore held nearly 30% of Publix stock at that date. That figure should not be presented as the company's total employee ownership percentage because employees and former employees may also own shares directly.
Publix reported approximately 259,000 shareholders of record as of February 3, 2026.
How do Publix employees get stock?
Publix uses several programs to connect eligible associates with company ownership.
Employee Stock Ownership Plan
The Publix Employee Stock Ownership Plan, commonly called the ESOP or PROFIT Plan, is a company-funded retirement plan. Publix may contribute company stock or cash to the plan for eligible associates.
Publix's 2025 annual report said the fair value of shares held by the ESOP was $13.9 billion at December 27, 2025.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Eligible active associates may purchase Publix shares during designated offering periods through the company's stock purchase program.
The public cannot participate. Publix says only eligible active associates and members of its board of directors may purchase stock directly from the company during offering periods.
401(k) Plan
Publix stock is also held through the company's 401(k) retirement plan. The plan's disclosed holdings represented 8.66% of outstanding shares in February 2026.
Can former Publix employees keep their stock?
Some former employees retain Publix shares, but the market for those shares is tightly controlled.
Publix stock is not traded on an exchange. Its plans contain transfer restrictions, and an owner generally must first offer shares back to Publix before transferring them for value. The company also repurchases stock subject to its rules and eligibility requirements.
That creates a private, company-administered market rather than the continuous public trading available for stocks listed on Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange.
Does the Jenkins family own Publix?
Publix was founded by George W. Jenkins, and members of the Jenkins family have remained involved with the company. However, current filings do not show the Jenkins family as a controlling shareholder.
The 2026 proxy statement lists the ESOP and 401(k) plan as the large disclosed ownership blocks. No individual director or executive listed in that filing held more than 5% of Publix stock.
It is therefore more accurate to describe Publix as broadly employee-owned and privately held than as a family-owned company.
Who controls Publix?
Share ownership and management are related but separate.
Publix shareholders elect the board of directors. The board oversees company governance and appoints senior leadership. As of November 2026:
- Kevin Murphy is chief executive officer.
- Todd Jones is chairman of the board. Jones retired from his executive-chairman role effective May 31, 2026, but remained chairman.
- John Goff Jr. is president.
Employees can benefit from ownership, but daily operating decisions remain with Publix management and oversight remains with the board.
A short Publix ownership timeline
- 1930: George W. Jenkins opens the first Publix Food Store in Winter Haven, Florida.
- 1940: Jenkins opens the first Publix Super Market.
- Later in the company's development: Publix creates employee stock programs to give associates an ownership stake.
- 2024: Kevin Murphy becomes CEO and Todd Jones becomes executive chairman.
- 2026: Jones retires from his executive position but remains board chairman.
Publix says Jenkins believed associates would take better care of a company they owned. That idea became a defining feature of the company's compensation, retirement and operating culture.
What employee ownership means for Publix
Publix's ownership structure has several practical effects.
First, the company is not accountable to a public stock market or quarterly trading expectations in the same way as Kroger, Walmart or other publicly listed retailers.
Second, eligible associates can build a financial stake in Publix through retirement and stock-purchase programs.
Third, Publix must manage the liquidity demands created when shareholders want to sell. Because its shares do not trade publicly, Publix operates a repurchase process and periodically establishes a stock price.
Finally, employee ownership does not eliminate centralized governance. Publix still has a conventional board, executive team and corporate decision-making structure.
How large is Publix?
Publix reported 2025 retail sales of $62.7 billion. Its current company overview lists more than 260,000 employees and 1,442 stores across eight Southeastern states.
Those figures are useful context, but they change as Publix opens stores and reports new annual results.
Frequently asked questions
Is Publix owned by its employees?
Yes. Publix formally describes itself as employee-owned. Stock is held through employee benefit plans and by eligible individual shareholders, including current and former associates.
Is Publix 100% employee-owned?
Publix does not disclose one current number showing that 100% of all shares are beneficially owned by active employees. Shares are also held by former associates, eligible family members, directors and retirement plans. “Employee-owned” is accurate; “owned entirely by current employees” is too broad.
Does the Jenkins family still own Publix?
Members of the founder's family own shares and have served in company governance, but current public filings do not show the family as a controlling shareholder.
Can anyone buy Publix stock?
No. Publix stock is not available to the general public. Only eligible active associates and board members may buy shares directly during designated offering periods.
What is the Publix stock symbol?
Publix has no ticker symbol because its stock is not publicly traded.
Who is the largest Publix shareholder?
The Publix Employee Stock Ownership Plan was the largest disclosed holder in the 2026 proxy statement, with 20.93% of outstanding shares as of February 3, 2026.
Who is the CEO of Publix?
Kevin Murphy is Publix's CEO as of November 2026.
Sources
| Claim | Primary source |
|---|---|
| Private company; no ticker; purchase eligibility | Publix Stockholders: “We own it” |
| ESOP 20.93%, 401(k) 8.66%, shareholder holdings | Publix 2026 proxy statement |
| Share transfers, employee ownership, 259,000 holders and ESOP value | Publix 2025 Form 10-K |
| 2025 sales, employees and current store count | Publix facts and figures |
| Founder and early company history | Publix company history |
| Kevin Murphy CEO; Todd Jones retirement and continuing chairmanship | Publix executive-chairman announcement |