Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Trims Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its stake in Albertsons by 74.2% in Q4 per its 13F filing, selling 157,493 shares and leaving it with 54,803 shares valued at about $941,000.
• Albertsons raised its quarterly dividend to $0.17 (annualized $0.68) for a 4.2% yield, though the dividend payout ratio is very high at 212.5%, signaling potential sustainability concerns.
• The company reported Q (quarterly) EPS of $0.48 vs. $0.43 expected (a beat) while revenue of $20.25B missed estimates; it set FY2026 guidance of $2.220–2.320 EPS and carries an average analyst rating of "Hold" with a $21.31 price target.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lessened its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 74.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,803 shares of the company's stock after selling 157,493 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 103.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 185.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,524 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $16.05 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $17.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.49. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $22.78.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.49 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. Albertsons Companies's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 212.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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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