Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $19.83 Million Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. has reduced its stake in Albertsons Companies by 22.7%, owning approximately 901,637 shares valued at $19.83 million after selling 264,800 shares in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have adjusted their stakes in Albertsons, with Fifth Third Bancorp leading with a 54.8% increase during the same period, and institutional ownership now stands at 71.35%.
• Albertsons Companies recently reported earnings of $0.55 per share for the quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, resulting in a yield of 3.2%.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. decreased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 22.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 901,637 shares of the company's stock after selling 264,800 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned about 0.16% of Albertsons Companies worth $19,827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $426,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 186.3% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 30,984 shares of the company's stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 20,161 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 438.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 278,009 shares of the company's stock worth $5,460,000 after buying an additional 226,419 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 180,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,552,000 after buying an additional 104,302 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price target (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.94.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.9%

Albertsons Companies stock traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $18.71. The company had a trading volume of 7,479,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,888,663. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The firm's fifty day moving average is $19.95 and its 200-day moving average is $21.02. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%.Albertsons Companies's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.030-2.160 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Albertsons Companies Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.