Korea Investment CORP Has $7.32 Million Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 50.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 418,212 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 140,019 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $7,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $320,613,000. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.5% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 10,946,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,673,000 after acquiring an additional 368,100 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 17.7% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,388,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410,778 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 37.1% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,269,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,803,000 after purchasing an additional 2,239,291 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,901,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,510,000 after purchasing an additional 124,824 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ACI shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Barclays decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $16.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a PE ratio of 10.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve month high of $23.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.83.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.71%.

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.