22,602,710 Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Acquired by Norges Bank

Key Points

• Norges Bank bought 22.6 million shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter, a stake worth about $388 million and equal to roughly 4.4% ownership of the company.
• Albertsons reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.48 per share, though revenue of $20.25 billion came in slightly below estimates; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.17 per share.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed: analysts currently have a consensus “Hold” rating with a $21.31 average price target, even as several firms maintained or cut targets and one rating agency downgraded the stock.

Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,602,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $388,089,000. Norges Bank owned about 4.40% of Albertsons Companies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,294,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,326 shares of the company's stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $251,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 129,100 shares of the company's stock worth $2,217,000 after buying an additional 43,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 54.5% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 16,329 shares of the company's stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 5,760 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE:ACI opened at $15.45 on Tuesday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $15.36 and a one year high of $22.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.28, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's fifty day moving average is $16.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. The business had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. Research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.

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