Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.31.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $11.00 in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $12.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Thomas Moriarty acquired 170,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 308,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Susan Morris bought 39,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,092,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,481,557.52. The trade was a 3.74% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 218,909 shares of company stock valued at $2,515,826 over the last ninety days. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% during the first quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 721 shares in the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.5% in the first quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 61,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 172.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 35,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $11.73 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 146.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $12.11 and its 200 day moving average is $14.35. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $10.86 and a one year high of $20.00.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The company had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 850.00%.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc is a U.S. food and drug retailer headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The company operates supermarkets, pharmacies and related retail businesses under banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Carrs and Haggen.

Its stores offer groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli items, household products, health and beauty products, and pharmacy services. Albertsons also provides private-label products, fuel at select locations, grocery delivery and pickup, digital shopping tools, and customer loyalty programs.

The company’s history traces to 1939, when Joe Albertson opened the first Albertsons store in Boise.