River Road Asset Management LLC Makes New $6.37 Million Investment in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 370,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,366,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 109.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,542,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,919,000 after purchasing an additional 806,336 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter worth $1,090,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 21.4% in the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 14,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 2,528 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 39.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 504,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,861,000 after buying an additional 142,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $13.44 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.95. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.41 and a fifty-two week high of $22.78. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. The company 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%.Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 212.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ACI. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.31.

Albertsons Companies 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.