BUZZ-US grocer Albertsons rises after annual profit forecast raised

** Shares of U.S. grocer Albertsons ACI.N up ~3% at $20.35 premarket

** Co raises annual adj. profit forecast to between $2.25 and $2.31 per share vs prior range of $2.20 to $2.30

** ACI logs Q3 adj. profit of 71 cents per share vs analysts' avg. est. of 66 cents - data compiled by LSEG

** Co sued Kroger KR.N last month after terminating their $25 bln merger deal, which was blocked by U.S. courts

** ACI misses Q3 sales estimates owing to stiff competition from bigger retailers, including Walmart WMT.N and Kroger

** Posts quarterly net sales of $18.78 bln vs estimates of $18.82 bln

** ACI fell about 14% in 2024

(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru)

((AnujaBharat.Mistry@thomsonreuters.com))