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

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.3077.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. 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 report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $14.15 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.90 and its 200-day moving average is $16.86. The company has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.20. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $13.31 and a 12 month high of $22.78.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $20.25 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies 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. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 212.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ACI. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 109.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,542,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,919,000 after buying an additional 806,336 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,090,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 14,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 2,528 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 504,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,861,000 after buying an additional 142,457 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.