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

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.5385.

Several brokerages have commented on ACI. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Okabena Investment Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.0% during the third quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. now owns 63,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the period. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 79,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,387,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 721 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 5.4% during the 2nd 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 period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 103.5% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

ACI stock opened at $13.77 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.42. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $15.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.73. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $13.16 and a 1 year high of $22.78.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 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 firm had revenue of $20.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 212.50%.

About Albertsons Companies

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.