AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 1,601.1%, acquiring 4,451,250 shares to bring its total to approximately 4.73 million shares valued at $103.8 million.
• Several hedge funds are adjusting their positions, with institutional investors owning 71.35% of Albertsons' stock, indicating strong interest from the investment community.
• Albertsons recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.1%, while setting FY 2025 EPS guidance at 2.030-2.160.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 1,601.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,729,259 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,451,250 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.82% of Albertsons Companies worth $103,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ACI. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.0% during the fourth quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN now owns 5,766,719 shares of the company's stock worth $113,258,000 after acquiring an additional 2,993,988 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 52.9% during the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 7,873,039 shares of the company's stock worth $173,128,000 after acquiring an additional 2,724,576 shares during the period. Apollo Management Holdings L.P. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 174.1% during the first quarter. Apollo Management Holdings L.P. now owns 2,930,000 shares of the company's stock worth $64,431,000 after acquiring an additional 1,861,000 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 118.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 3,227,851 shares of the company's stock worth $73,164,000 after acquiring an additional 1,752,393 shares during the period. Finally, Parsifal Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP now owns 10,204,862 shares of the company's stock worth $200,423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657,981 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 target price (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.94.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE ACI traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $18.72. The company had a trading volume of 7,134,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,064,850. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.82. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20. The company has a market cap of $10.48 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $20.14 and a 200-day moving average of $21.06.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

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

About Albertsons Companies

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.