Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Grows Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 774,086 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 130,561 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $13,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACI. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 103.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 185.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 172.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 1.3%

ACI stock opened at $16.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.46, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.40. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.36 and a fifty-two week high of $22.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.59 and a 200-day moving average of $17.14.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 212.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ACI shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.31.

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.