MRP Capital Investments LLC Acquires New Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

MRP Capital Investments LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 51,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $903,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 109.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,542,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,919,000 after purchasing an additional 806,336 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $1,090,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 31.9% in the 2nd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 8,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,970 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 24.5% in the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 45,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 8,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 53,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,276 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total transaction of $863,870.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 289,429 shares in the company, valued at $5,102,633.27. The trade was a 14.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 1.9%

ACI opened at $18.13 on Thursday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.80 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $9.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.48.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company 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 earned $0.71 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.71%.

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.