Foster & Motley Inc. Invests $759,000 in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Foster & Motley Inc. purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 56,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $759,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 119,455 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth $388,089,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,305,000 after buying an additional 5,110,777 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,000. Finally, III Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 78.9% during the fourth quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,698,000 after acquiring an additional 95,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ACI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down from $17.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays lowered 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.31.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $12.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.71. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.86 and a 1-year high of $20.00.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its 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). The firm had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. 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 1.65 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, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 850.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty acquired 170,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Sharon Mccollam bought 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.48 per share, with a total value of $103,320.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 567,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,509,745.48. The trade was a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 218,909 shares of company stock valued at $2,515,826. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.