Royal Bank of Canada Reduces Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 41.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 327,886 shares of the company’s stock after selling 235,336 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $5,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 121.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 42,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $720,000 after acquiring an additional 23,227 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,450,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,719,000 after purchasing an additional 195,208 shares during the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 33.6% in the 1st quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 250,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,266,000 after purchasing an additional 62,981 shares during the last quarter. Van Diest Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $224,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,179,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,258,000 after purchasing an additional 430,101 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $11.98 on Thursday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.86 and a 52 week high of $20.00. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $13.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.87. 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 firm has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 149.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.42.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The business had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 850.00%.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, CFO Sharon Mccollam purchased 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.48 per share, with a total value of $103,320.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 567,051 shares in the company, valued at $6,509,745.48. This trade represents a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were bought 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 $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $11.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.31.

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.