Norges Bank Acquires Shares of 22,602,710 Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 22,602,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,089,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Towle & Co. raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 674.2% in the third quarter. Towle & Co. now owns 339,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,940,000 after purchasing an additional 295,413 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 5,110,777 shares during the period. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the third quarter valued at $2,307,000. Private Management Group Inc. raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 8.4% in the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 2,360,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,336,000 after purchasing an additional 182,638 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,955,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $15.45 on Tuesday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.36 and a 1-year high of $22.78. The stock has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a PE ratio of 48.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $20.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 212.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ACI. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.31.

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.