Filing Flows › Albertsons Companies (ACI) › Takeover & LBO
Is Albertsons Companies (ACI) a takeover target?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($17.21 a share) would return a loss of about 5% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; the most a buyer could pay for a 20% return is $5.59 a share (−58% against today's $13.24). Historically 4.4% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.87× the average).
The buyout, step by step
| Entry | Amount | How |
|---|---|---|
| Offer price a share | $17.21 | today's $13.24 plus 30% |
| × shares | 534.7 million | |
| = Equity value | $9.2B | |
| + Debt refinanced | $8.9B | |
| − Cash | $199M | |
| = Enterprise value | $18.0B | 6.8× EBITDA of $2.6B |
| Fees | $359M | 2% of the price |
| New debt | $11.7B | 4.4× EBITDA at 7.65% a year; the limit that binds: 65% of the price |
| Buyer's own money | $6.6B | 36% of the cost |
5 years under the buyer
| Year | Revenue | EBITDA | Interest | Free cash flow | Debt left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $86.2B | $2.7B | $893M | −$365M | $12.0B |
| Year 2 | $89.2B | $2.8B | $921M | −$361M | $12.4B |
| Year 3 | $92.2B | $2.9B | $948M | −$356M | $12.8B |
| Year 4 | $95.1B | $3.0B | $975M | −$350M | $13.1B |
| Year 5 | $98.0B | $3.1B | $1.0B | −$343M | $13.4B |
The exit and the buyer's return
| Exit | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Exit multiple | 6.0× EBITDA | today's trading multiple, before any premium |
| Enterprise value at exit | $18.6B | |
| − Debt left | $13.4B | |
| = Buyer's equity | $5.2B | |
| Money multiple | 0.78× | on $6.6B put in |
| Buyer's yearly return (IRR) | −4.8% |
Price against return
What the buyer makes at other premiums over today's $13.24; the IRR reaches 20% at $5.59 a share.
| Premium | Price a share | Buyer's IRR |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $14.56 | 1.3% |
| 20% | $15.89 | −1.7% |
| 30% | $17.21 | −4.8% |
| 40% | $18.54 | −8.1% |
| 50% | $19.86 | −11.6% |
The figures used
| Figure | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue, last 12 months | $83.2B | |
| EBITDA, last 12 months | $2.6B | 3.2% of revenue |
| Depreciation and amortization | $1.9B | |
| Capital spending | $1.8B | |
| Debt | $8.9B | |
| Cash | $199M | |
| Share price | $13.24 | on Nov 6, 2026 |
Fixed rules, the same as the interactive view's starting point: the shares are bought at today's price plus 30%, the company's debt is refinanced and fees take 2%. New debt is the least of 5.5× EBITDA, 65% of the price and the amount whose interest EBITDA covers 2 times, at 7.65% a year (SOFR 3.89% plus the high-yield B spread 3.26% plus 0.5%, rates of Oct 15, 2026). Revenue grows 3.7% in the first year — the company's own rate, held between −3% and +8% — fading to 3% by year 5; the EBITDA margin, depreciation and capital spending stay at today's share of revenue; working capital takes 10% of each year's added revenue; tax is 19% of profit after interest. Every dollar of free cash flow repays debt. After 5 years the buyer sells at today's multiple of EBITDA.
What a takeover could cost
Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Albertsons Companies would cost about $17.54 a share, $9.4B for all its shares.
| Premium | % | Price a share | All shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end (a quarter of deals paid less) | 20% | $15.89 | $8.5B |
| Median | 32.5% | $17.54 | $9.4B |
| High end (a quarter paid more) | 51.8% | $20.10 | $10.7B |
The odds, from history
Historically 4.4% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.87× the average). Its figures put it in decile 5 of 10 (10 = the most likely to be bought). The odds come from a model of every merger proxy, tender-offer response and going-private statement filed on EDGAR since 2011, set against each company's size, margins, debt, cash flow and growth the year before.
Albertsons Companies' latest quarter
Albertsons Companies, Q2 FY27: revenue $18.9B (-0.1% year over year), operating margin 0.9%, net earnings $51.5M, operating cash flow $481M. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.
Questions
Is Albertsons Companies being acquired?
No headline, 8-K or 13D about a sale is on file in the last year.
Could private equity buy Albertsons Companies?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($17.21 a share) would return a loss of about 5% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; the most a buyer could pay for a 20% return is $5.59 a share (−58% against today's $13.24).
What would a takeover of Albertsons Companies cost?
Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Albertsons Companies would cost about $17.54 a share, $9.4B for all its shares.
Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.