Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Shares Purchased by Carlson Capital L.P.

Carlson Capital L.P. increased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 138.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,200 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 69,200 shares during the period. Albertsons Companies makes up about 0.6% of Carlson Capital L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Carlson Capital L.P.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $2,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% in the first quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 721 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake 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 worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 103.5% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the topic of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of 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 research note on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.31.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In other news, CEO Susan Morris bought 39,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,092,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,481,557.52. This trade represents a 3.74% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty bought 170,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of ACI opened at $11.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 144.50, a PEG ratio of 1.99 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. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $14.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The company had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. The firm’s 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 predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 850.00%.

Albertsons Companies 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.