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

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.5833.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ACI shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE ACI opened at $17.93 on Friday. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $23.20. The company has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 38.00% and a net margin of 1.06%.The company had revenue of $19.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total value of $863,870.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 289,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,102,633.27. This represents a 14.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 0.7% during the second quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 78,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,690,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 17,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. now owns 63,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 32.9% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.4% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc (NYSE: ACI) is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, operating a diversified portfolio of grocery store banners. Founded in 1939 by Joe Albertson in Boise, Idaho, the company has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. Its core business activities encompass the sale of fresh produce, meat, bakery items, deli offerings, pharmacy services, and general merchandise. The company’s retail operations are complemented by an in-house private-label program, featuring brands such as O Organics, Open Nature, and Lucerne, which cater to a range of customer preferences and price points.

Throughout its history, Albertsons Companies has pursued growth via mergers and partnerships.