Albertsons and H&R Block: Two Defensive Consumer Stocks Nobody Is Talking About

<h3>Quick Read</h3>
<ul>
<li> <p class="yf-1fy9kyt">Albertsons (</p><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ACI/">ACI</a>) reported Q3 identical sales growth of 2.4% with adjusted EPS of $0.72 beating consensus by $0.04, driven by pharmacy expansion and 21% digital sales growth reaching 49.8 million loyalty members. H&amp;R Block (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/HRB/">HRB</a>) posted Q2 revenue of $198.87M up 11.1% year over year, with assisted tax prep revenue jumping 15.6% and DIY software climbing 22.3%, while generating $598.85M in free cash flow last year on an asset-light model.</li>
<li> <p class="yf-1fy9kyt">Albertsons and H&amp;R Block are both using technology and AI to defend against margin compression and competitive threats: Albertsons is investing in personalization and efficiency to offset Medicare drug pricing headwinds, while H&amp;R Block’s human-plus-AI model is outpacing AI-native tax prep competitors during peak tax season.</p></li>
<li> <p class="yf-1fy9kyt">A recent study identified one single habit that doubled Americans’ retirement savings and moved retirement from dream, to reality.</p><a href="https://247wallst.com/lp/the-simple-habit-that-can-double-americans-retirement-savings-and-why-you-should-start-today/?i=0c8506b2-199e-49dd-b9bc-cade7fd5ec9a&amp;p=ebadc3d1-a33c-4a9b-912c-8b2543ac0c0b&amp;pos=keypoints&amp;tpid=1567432&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_content=feed||1567432">Read more here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Albertsons (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ACI/">NYSE:ACI</a>) just reported Q3 FY2026 earnings showing identical sales growth of 2.4% driven almost entirely by pharmacy. H&amp;R Block (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/HRB/">NYSE:HRB</a>) posted Q2 FY2026 results with revenue of $198.87 million, up 11.1% year over year. Two different businesses, both flying under the radar, both leaning into technology to defend their turf.</p>
<h2>Pharmacy Carries Albertsons. Tax Season Is Starting to Carry H&amp;R Block.</h2>
<p>Albertsons beat on the bottom line, posting adjusted EPS of $0.72 against a consensus of $0.68. Pharmacy is doing the heavy lifting on identical sales while compressing margins. Gross margin slipped to 27.4% from 27.9% the prior year because pharmacy is lower-margin than center-store groceries. Digital sales grew 21% year over year, and loyalty membership hit 49.8 million members, up 12%. New CEO Susan Morris framed the strategy: "Our investments in technology and AI are fundamentally reshaping how we operate and serve our customers; driving smarter decisions, greater efficiency, and more personalized experiences."</p>
<p>H&amp;R Block's Q2 is always a loss quarter — tax season hasn't peaked yet. But off-season results were strong. Assisted tax prep revenue jumped 15.6% year over year, DIY software climbed 22.3%, and Wave, the small business platform, grew 12.1%. New CEO Curtis Campbell set the tone: "In a year of heightened uncertainty for many filers, our client-first strategy and disciplined execution keep us focused on durable growth and long-term value."</p>
<p>Read: <a href="https://247wallst.com/lp/the-simple-habit-that-can-double-americans-retirement-savings-and-why-you-should-start-today/?i=0c8506b2-199e-49dd-b9bc-cade7fd5ec9a&amp;p=d474a5a7-790a-4f9f-bfcb-02fc45c14ad3&amp;pos=mid_content&amp;tpid=1567432">Data Shows One Habit Doubles American’s Savings And Boosts Retirement</a></p>
<p>Most Americans drastically underestimate how much they need to retire and overestimate how prepared they are. But data shows that <a href="https://247wallst.com/lp/the-simple-habit-that-can-double-americans-retirement-savings-and-why-you-should-start-today/?i=0c8506b2-199e-49dd-b9bc-cade7fd5ec9a&amp;p=d474a5a7-790a-4f9f-bfcb-02fc45c14ad3&amp;pos=mid_content&amp;tpid=1567432">people with one habit</a> have more than double the savings of those who don’t.</p>