150,056 Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Bought by Alps Advisors Inc.

Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 150,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,627,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 130.4% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 98.4% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 61.7% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total value of $863,870.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 289,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,102,633.27. This represents a 14.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.58.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $17.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.20. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $15.80 and a one year high of $23.20. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $17.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.07. The company has a market capitalization of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.48.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 38.00% and a net margin of 1.06%.The business had revenue of $19.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.71%.

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.