VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases New Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 270,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,658,000.

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

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 2.6%

NYSE:ACI opened at $11.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $5.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 147.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.37. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.86 and a fifty-two week high of $20.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.13.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 0.08%.The firm had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 850.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.31.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, CFO Sharon Mccollam acquired 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.48 per share, with a total value 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 approximately $6,509,745.48. This represents a 1.61% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty acquired 170,500 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at $3,555,968.46. This represents a 123.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826 over the last quarter. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.