Topline
Albertsons stock soared Tuesday after the grocery company reported its second quarter earnings, raising its sales and profit outlook alongside a jump in digital sales.
Albertsons reported second quarter earnings Tuesday morning. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Albertsons’ shares rocketed 14.4% to $19.41 as of 2:40 p.m. EDT, reaching its highest point since early September.
Albertsons boosted its full-year adjusted earnings guidance from $2.03 to $2.16 a share up to $2.06 to $2.19 a share.
The grocer also raised the bottom-end of its sales guidance, increasing to projected growth between 2.2% and 2.75% (up from 2.0% to 2.75%), citing strong growth in pharmacy sales.
Digital sales jumped 23%, contributing to $18.9 billion in net sales, up from $18.5 billion year-over-year.
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Contra
The jolt follows a rough stretch for the grocer’s stock, which tumbled three months straight after reaching its second-highest point of the year ($22.74) in July. Its 52-week high came in early April, when the stock traded as high as $23.20.
Tangent
Albertsons also announced an accelerated buyback with JPMorgan Chase Bank to purchase $750 million of company shares. The agreement will raise Albertsons’ share-repurchase program from $2 billion to $2.75 billion.
Big Number
90%. That is the share of Americans who reported being stressed about the cost of groceries, according to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in July.
Key Background
Albertsons’ shares are down 3.8% so far this year and slid throughout the summer, with JPMorgan analysts citing grocery competition, according to The Wall Street Journal, which noted Amazon’s growing grocery delivery service and price cuts from Walmart. Food prices increased faster (3.2%) than overall inflation (2.9%) in August, according to the Department of Agriculture. The consumer price index for all food climbed 0.4% month-over-month from July to August 2025, with beef and veal, other meats and fresh vegetables experiencing the largest price increases, the department noted, adding grocery store prices are predicted to increase 2.4% in 2025.
Further Reading
Almost 90% Of Americans Are Worried About The Cost Of Groceries (Forbes)