Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Hits New 52-Week Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday after Citigroup lowered their price target on the stock from $22.00 to $17.00. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock. Albertsons Companies traded as low as $13.22 and last traded at $13.3370, with a volume of 495944 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $13.47.

ACI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. UBS Group cut their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. 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. Weiss Ratings cut Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.69.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $388,089,000. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 101.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,687,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,678,000 after purchasing an additional 5,873,759 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,429,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,595,000 after purchasing an additional 5,159,905 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,330,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,305,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 113.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,749,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,546,000 after buying an additional 2,519,432 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $15.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.78. The firm has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a PE ratio of 41.48, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.49 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

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

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.