Brokerages Set Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Price Target at $15.31

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.3077.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACI. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $13.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Barclays dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty acquired 170,500 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Susan Morris acquired 39,409 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.42 per share, with a total value of $450,050.78. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,092,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,481,557.52. The trade was a 3.74% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $1,531,000. Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $759,000. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 2,321,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,407,000 after acquiring an additional 285,280 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 58.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 3,768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Value Investment Professionals LLC raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 21.8% during the second quarter. Value Investment Professionals LLC now owns 66,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $893,000 after acquiring an additional 11,816 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI opened at $12.02 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $13.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.68. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $10.86 and a 1-year high of $20.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $5.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 150.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.42.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The firm had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 850.00%.

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.