Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.3077.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ACI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $13.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets cut Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty acquired 170,500 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,962,455.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This represents a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Susan Morris bought 39,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,092,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,481,557.52. The trade was a 3.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 730 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 144.3% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,225 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,406.4% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 4,909 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of ACI stock opened at $12.09 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22. Albertsons Companies has a twelve month low of $10.86 and a twelve month high of $20.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.07. The stock has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.10, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.37.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The firm had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 850.00%.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies, Inc is a food and drug retailer that operates supermarkets, pharmacies and related omnichannel grocery businesses in the United States. Its stores offer fresh produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli products, packaged groceries, household goods, health and beauty products, and pharmacy services. The company also provides online ordering, grocery delivery and pickup services through its digital platforms.

Albertsons Companies operates under a portfolio of well-known banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Pavilions, Carrs and Haggen.