Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Reaches New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $15.80 and last traded at $15.8750, with a volume of 1225473 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ACI shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley restated 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. UBS Group dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.31.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58. The company has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.46.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.49 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 42.75% and a net margin of 0.26%.The company’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 212.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $388,089,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 101.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,687,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,678,000 after acquiring an additional 5,873,759 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 62.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,429,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,595,000 after acquiring an additional 5,159,905 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $675,305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 113.0% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,749,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,546,000 after acquiring an additional 2,519,432 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.