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

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.6923.

A number of research firms have recently commented on ACI. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 109.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,542,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,919,000 after purchasing an additional 806,336 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter worth about $1,090,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 21.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 14,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 2,528 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 39.3% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 504,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,861,000 after acquiring an additional 142,457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of ACI opened at $13.46 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.78. The stock has a market cap of $6.59 billion, a PE ratio of 42.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.40. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $13.31 and a 12 month high of $22.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. The business had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.1%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 212.50%.

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.