Albertsons Companies remains a strong buy despite the blocked Kroger merger, with shares rising 13.7% since the merger collapse. The company shows growth in revenue and profits, driven by its pharmacy business and identical sales increases, despite some financial underperformance. Shares are attractively priced both on an absolute basis and relative to peers, with potential upside from litigation against Kroger Co.
Kroger: Potential To Be A Future Dividend Giant
Kroger (KR) closed at $59.12 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.37% move from the prior day.
Kroger has agreed to pay $110 million to resolve a lawsuit by the state of Kentucky alleging the supermarket chain's pharmacies helped fuel a deadly opioid epidemic by flooding its communities with hundreds of millions of doses of addictive painkillers.
Shares of grocery retailer Albertsons (ACI) rose Wednesday morning after the company reported better third-quarter earnings than analysts had expected, while sales fell just short of estimates.
Kroger's NYSE: KR attempted takeover of Albertson's NYSE: ACI failed, leaving Albertson's investors wondering what would come next and Kroger's in an envious position. Although there is a risk of litigation and the potential for a $600 million termination fee, it is small potatoes to the balance sheet improvement, capital position and returns.
KR's $5 billion ASR program represents a strong step in boosting shareholder value and demonstrates its robust financial health.
Albertsons faces daunting challenges as a stand-alone company.
Albertsons is poised to sue for their deal termination fee which, if obtained, would most likely kill any chance for a future deal. ACI was priced on the merger closing and now remains very undervalued. Kroger has its merits as well, and is also undervalued and in a much better financial position on the balance sheet than Albertsons.
Kroger's (KR) proposed acquisition of Albertsons (ACI) was officially blocked this week after federal judges ruled that the merger would violate consumer protection laws and reduce competition.
The Federal Trade Commission sued Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, accusing the company of illegal price discrimination. Southern's is the largest U.S. distributor of wine and spirits, and is the tenth largest privately held company in the nation.
KR terminates its merger deal with ACI. The company looks forward to resuming its share repurchases and authorizes a new program.