Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday,Zacks reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on ACI. BMO Capital Markets lowered Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $12.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Five research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.31.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of ACI stock opened at $12.10 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 151.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.37. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $10.86 and a fifty-two week high of $20.00.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 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 firm had revenue of $24.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Equities analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 850.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Albertsons Companies news, CEO Susan Morris acquired 39,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.42 per share, for a total transaction of $450,050.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,092,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,481,557.52. This represents a 3.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sharon Mccollam bought 9,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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. This trade represents a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826. 1.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 119,455 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $388,089,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $2,858,000. III Capital Management boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,698,000 after purchasing an additional 95,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $3,910,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

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.