Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Shares Acquired by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 214.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 174,687 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 119,109 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $2,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 119,455 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $388,089,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,858,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 5,110,777 shares during the period. Finally, III Capital Management lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 78.9% in the fourth quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,698,000 after buying an additional 95,000 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Albertsons Companies this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons delivered first-quarter EPS of $0.42, missing expectations, while revenue of $24.94 billion was slightly ahead of estimates. The company also highlighted continued growth in digital and pharmacy, but core grocery sales showed pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut fiscal 2026 guidance, now projecting adjusted EPS of $1.75-$1.85 and lower sales growth, citing cautious consumers and weaker grocery spending. The company also signaled fiscal 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $3.55 billion-$3.625 billion, alongside $200 million in expected ACI Edge run-rate benefits as it pushes a turnaround plan. Albertsons Companies, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Albertsons warned that consumers are pulling back on grocery spending, and multiple reports described softer same-store grocery demand as the main reason for the stock decline. Albertsons warns of softer grocery demand as consumers pull back
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokerages reduced price targets after the results, including Goldman Sachs to $16, JPMorgan to $14, Barclays to $12, RBC to $13, Telsey to $13, and Wells Fargo to $11, reflecting more cautious expectations for near-term performance.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $10.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 137.44, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.42. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.86 and a fifty-two week high of $20.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.36.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.08% and a return on equity of 45.59%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 850.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ACI. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $23.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.38.

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.