Investors will not hear from Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) this earnings season until much later this month. Coles is scheduled to drop its latest half-year earnings report on 27 February, meaning we have quite a few ASX 200 shares to get through before we hear from the supermarket operator. So today, let’s talk about the current Coles stock price and whether it is cheap enough for me.

I’ve long advocated Coles stock as a dividend investment, perfect for income-focused investors. Its nature as a defensive consumer staples stock makes Coles a reliable provider of dividend paycheques. This is evident in Coles’ impressive dividend track record, which has seen this company reward shareholders with an annual dividend hike every year since…