Shares of grocer Kroger (KR) finished Tuesday higher, rising in afternoon trading on the news that a court blocked its planned merger with Albertsons (ACI).

Kroger's stock finished the day up more than 5%, while Albertsons was off more than 2%. A federal judge blocked the deal, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported, agreeing with regulators who argued that it would hurt consumers by reducing competition in the grocery market.

The proposed deal, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:announced in 2022, would've created a grocery giant even 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:after the divestments the companies had planned in a bid to ease regulators' concerns. The 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:companies had argued that the deal would help the combined chain better compete against Walmart (WMT) and other retailers.

Court proceedings in the matter could continue, the Journal reported, though the companies may now choose to stop pursuﷺing the deal.

Kroger 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:earlier this month turned in♈ quarterly revenue and net income bel𓂃ow analysts' projections.

Shares of Kroger are up roughly 30% this year, while Albertsons' are off some 20%.