Towle & Co. Buys 295,413 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Towle & Co. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 674.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 339,227 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 295,413 shares during the quarter. Towle & Co. owned 0.06% of Albertsons Companies worth $5,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 130.4% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 827 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 98.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 61.7% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares during the period. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the second quarter valued at about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total transaction of $863,870.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 289,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,102,633.27. This trade represents a 14.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:ACI opened at $17.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $17.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.02. The company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.48. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.80 and a 1-year high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $19.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.18 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 38.00%. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.71 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Albertsons Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.58.

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.