Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.5833.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.1%

ACI opened at $17.29 on Friday. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $15.80 and a 1-year high of $22.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36. The company has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.60.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 38.00%. The firm had revenue of $19.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total transaction of $863,870.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 289,429 shares in the company, valued at $5,102,633.27. This trade represents a 14.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 103.5% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 130.4% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 185.1% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 91.2% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 172.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently 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.