Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) gapped down before the market opened on Friday. The stock had previously closed at $12.34, but opened at $11.77. Albertsons Companies shares last traded at $12.2450, with a volume of 251,001 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $11.00 price target (down from $17.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.31.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.8%

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 stock has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a PE ratio of 153.06, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $12.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.32.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The business had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. The business’s 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 850.00%.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In related news, CFO Sharon Mccollam purchased 9,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.48 per share, for a total transaction of $103,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 567,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,509,745.48. This represents a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,555,968.46. This represents a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 218,909 shares of company stock valued at $2,515,826. Company insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 119,455 shares during the period. Strategic Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the second quarter valued at $3,910,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,531,000. Finally, III Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 78.9% in the 4th quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,698,000 after acquiring an additional 95,000 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc is a U.S. food and drug retailer headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The company operates supermarkets, pharmacies and related retail businesses under banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Carrs and Haggen.

Its stores offer groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli items, household products, health and beauty products, and pharmacy services. Albertsons also provides private-label products, fuel at select locations, grocery delivery and pickup, digital shopping tools, and customer loyalty programs.

The company’s history traces to 1939, when Joe Albertson opened the first Albertsons store in Boise.