Albertsons Inc. stock rose Friday on trading volume more than triple its daily average, on a report that private-equity investors are lining up to bid on the supermarket chain.
Albertsons operates 60 stores in Colorado, according to the Shelby Report of the Southwest. The company employed 4,000 people in the state in 2004.
Shares of Albertsons rose $1.77, or 7.7 percent, to $24.82 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Private-equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Apollo Advisors LP, Bain Capital LLC, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Carlyle Group are interested in buying the company, according to a report Friday on TheDeal.com website.
The report didn’t name its sources for the information.
It also said bidding for the company could bring “more than $16 billion, including the assumption of $6 billion in long-term debt.” First-round bids were due Monday.
Albertsons, based in Boise, Idaho, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
