Voya Investment Management LLC Raises Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. by an impressive 6,541.5% in the first quarter, acquiring a total of 3,723,616 shares valued at approximately $81.88 million.
• Albertsons reported a surge in revenue to $24.88 billion for the latest quarter, surpassing consensus estimates, while its earnings per share slightly beat projections at $0.55.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15, translating to an annual yield of 3.2%, alongside a calculated dividend payout ratio of 36.59%.

Voya Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 6,541.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,723,616 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,667,550 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.65% of Albertsons Companies worth $81,882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,374,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $821,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064,547 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 52.9% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 7,873,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $173,128,000 after purchasing an additional 2,724,576 shares during the period. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.0% in the fourth quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN now owns 5,766,719 shares of the company's stock valued at $113,258,000 after purchasing an additional 2,993,988 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 17.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,462,715 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,102,000 after purchasing an additional 825,983 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1,601.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,729,259 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,807,000 after purchasing an additional 4,451,250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

ACI traded down $0.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $18.36. The stock had a trading volume of 1,600,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,040,364. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.51. The company's 50-day moving average price is $19.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.95. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month 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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. Albertsons Companies's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.030-2.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Finally, Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $24.00 price target (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.