Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 5,110,777 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Albertsons by 14.9%, buying an additional 5,110,777 shares to own 39,330,507 shares (about 7.65%) worth roughly $675.3 million at quarter-end.
• Albertsons beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.48 vs. $0.43) and reported revenue up 7.7% year-over-year to $20.25 billion (slightly below expectations), and set FY2026 guidance of $2.22–$2.32 EPS versus a sell-side consensus of $2.11.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.15 to $0.17 (annualized $0.68), implying a ~4.1% yield, despite a reported payout ratio of 212.5%.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,330,507 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,110,777 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 7.65% of Albertsons Companies worth $675,305,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. CWM LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 103.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,057 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.2%

ACI opened at $16.66 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.80 and a fifty-two week high of $22.78. The firm's fifty day moving average is $17.21 and its 200 day moving average is $17.53. The stock has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. The company had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies'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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 212.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ACI shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $14.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.31.

About Albertsons Companies

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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