** Shares of Woolworths WOW.AX rise as much as 2.1% to A$32.22, their highest since February 26
** Stock last up 0.6% at A$31.75
** Australia's largest supermarket chain reports quarterly total group sales of A$17.31 billion ($11.10 billion), higher than analysts' estimates of A$16.64 billion
** Smaller rival Coles COL.AX on Wednesday reported a 3.4% rise in third-quarter group sales
** Citi says Woolworths' online sales growth in its Australia Food business being flat QoQ indicates some online share loss to Coles
** Stock up 5.2% YTD, including moves in current session
($1 = 1.5596 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Jasmeen Ara Shaikh in Bengaluru)
((JasmeenAraIslam.Shaikh@thomsonreuters.com))
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.