Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Albertsons has a consensus “Hold” rating from 17 brokerages: nine analysts recommend holding, five recommend buying and three recommend selling. The average 12-month price target is $15.31, though several firms recently lowered their targets.
• The company missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.42 EPS versus the $0.54 consensus, while revenue of $24.94 billion slightly exceeded estimates. Analysts expect about $1.65 EPS for the current year.
• Albertsons declared a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share, equivalent to a 5.8% annualized yield. Company insiders also purchased about 218,909 shares worth $2.5 million over the past 90 days.

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.31.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $11.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $12.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $14.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.2%

ACI opened at $11.74 on Friday. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $10.86 and a one year high of $20.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 146.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $12.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.50.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 850.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In related news, CEO Susan Morris bought 39,409 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.42 per share, with a total value of $450,050.78. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,092,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,481,557.52. This trade represents a 3.74% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 308,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. The trade was a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased a total of 218,909 shares of company stock valued at $2,515,826 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Twin Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 721 shares in the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 61,163 shares of the company's stock worth $1,042,000 after buying an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 172.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 24.7% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,713 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares during the period. Finally, Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 4.0% in the first quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 35,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 1,357 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies, Inc is a U.S. food and drug retailer headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The company operates supermarkets, pharmacies and related retail businesses under banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Carrs and Haggen.

Its stores offer groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli items, household products, health and beauty products, and pharmacy services. Albertsons also provides private-label products, fuel at select locations, grocery delivery and pickup, digital shopping tools, and customer loyalty programs.

The company's history traces to 1939, when Joe Albertson opened the first Albertsons store in Boise.

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