Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $14.81 and last traded at $14.8310, with a volume of 10682617 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.31.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.35, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.40 and a 200-day moving average of $17.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 212.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $675,305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,777 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $388,089,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,013,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,855,000 after acquiring an additional 1,583,741 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 101.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,687,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,678,000 after acquiring an additional 5,873,759 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 11,130,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,109,000 after acquiring an additional 183,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.