Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Shares Bought by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 388%, acquiring over 1.25 million shares in the first quarter, raising its total ownership to about 1.57 million shares valued at $34.68 million.
• Wall Street analysts have shown optimism for Albertsons, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and price targets ranging from $19.00 to $28.00, suggesting potential growth for the stock.
• Albertsons recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.55, exceeding analyst expectations, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share with a dividend yield of 3.1%.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 388.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,577,252 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,254,030 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.27% of Albertsons Companies worth $34,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 340.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 48,840.0% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,447 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 2,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 54.8% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,997 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.04. 4,586,677 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,000,216. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.07. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20. The firm has a market cap of $10.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.51.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%.The firm had revenue of $24.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.030-2.160 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group raised Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $27.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Eleven 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 company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.94.

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.