Evercore ISI Cuts Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Price Target to $20.00

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its price objective trimmed by Evercore ISI from $21.00 to $20.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an in-line rating on the stock.

ACI has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Research upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Albertsons Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.69.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.4%

ACI stock opened at $17.28 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $16.55 and a one year high of $23.20. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.07.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $18.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.20% and a return on equity of 36.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.060-2.190 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Friday, October 24th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 35.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total value of $1,935,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 338,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,548,601.15. This represents a 22.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.25, for a total transaction of $4,427,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 300,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,786,107.25. This represents a 43.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth $320,613,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 10,946,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,673,000 after purchasing an additional 368,100 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,388,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410,778 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 37.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,269,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,803,000 after purchasing an additional 2,239,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,901,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,510,000 after purchasing an additional 124,824 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.