Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.3077.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group cut their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth $1,492,000. Towle & Co. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 674.2% during the third quarter. Towle & Co. now owns 339,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,940,000 after purchasing an additional 295,413 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,305,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,777 shares during the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth $2,307,000. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth $2,955,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 2.0%

NYSE ACI opened at $15.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $15.44 and a fifty-two week high of $22.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.23. The stock has a market cap of $7.72 billion, a PE ratio of 48.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.43.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.49 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 212.50%.

About Albertsons Companies

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.