Cincinnati and Boise, Idaho — Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. Inc. have agreed to a merger under which Kroger will acquire all outstanding shares of Albertsons’ common and preferred stock for an estimated total consideration of $34.10 per share, or a total enterprise value of approximately $24.6 billion. The deal includes the assumption of $4.7 billion of Albertsons’ net debt. Both companies’ boards of directors unanimously approved the agreement. The exact motivation for the merger was not stated in the press release, but The Wall Street Journal notes that by …
