Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 55.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 62,494 shares of the company’s stock after selling 77,143 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.4% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 103.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 61,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. The trade was a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Albertsons Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Albertsons Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ACI Edge could generate $200 million in savings. Albertsons’ technology and operating initiative is expected to improve efficiency and reduce costs, offering a potential earnings benefit if successfully implemented. Albertsons’ ACI Edge will produce $200M in savings
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity indicates some speculative interest. Traders purchased 4,588 ACI call options Monday, approximately 41% above typical call volume. This may reflect expectations for a rebound, although options activity alone does not establish a fundamental improvement.
• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons is advancing its ACI Edge operating model. The company announced a new regional structure and its Merch United initiative, which could support better execution and merchandising over time. Albertsons advances ACI Edge with new regional operating model
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its ACI price target to $12 from $20 while maintaining a Neutral rating. The sharply lower target signals reduced confidence in Albertsons’ near-term recovery and leaves limited implied upside. UBS rating update
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup also maintained Neutral but lowered its target to $11 from $17. Citi said additional fixes are needed, reinforcing concerns about execution and profitability. Citi downgrades Albertsons to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: The core catalyst remains Albertsons’ earnings miss and reduced fiscal 2026 outlook. Quarterly EPS came in below expectations, and management lowered its full-year adjusted EPS guidance amid consumer weakness. The company’s high leverage and very thin net margin add to investor concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced investigations into Albertsons. The inquiries focus on whether investors were misled regarding fiscal 2026 sales and earnings guidance after the disappointing results and outlook reduction. These notices add legal and reputational risk, though they do not represent proven wrongdoing. Albertsons investigation notice

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ACI. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $11.00 in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $13.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.31.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI stock opened at $11.63 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22. The stock has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 145.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.42. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.86 and a 52-week high of $20.02.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 850.00%.

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.