Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 55.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,494 shares of the company’s stock after selling 77,143 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $388,089,000. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 101.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,687,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,678,000 after buying an additional 5,873,759 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 62.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,429,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,595,000 after buying an additional 5,159,905 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 14.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 113.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $14.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $12.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $20.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty bought 170,500 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $1,962,455.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Albertsons Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: ACI Edge could generate $200 million in savings. Albertsons’ technology and operating initiative is expected to improve efficiency and reduce costs, offering a potential earnings benefit if successfully implemented. Albertsons’ ACI Edge will produce $200M in savings
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity indicates some speculative interest. Traders purchased 4,588 ACI call options Monday, approximately 41% above typical call volume. This may reflect expectations for a rebound, although options activity alone does not establish a fundamental improvement.
• Neutral Sentiment: Albertsons is advancing its ACI Edge operating model. The company announced a new regional structure and its Merch United initiative, which could support better execution and merchandising over time. Albertsons advances ACI Edge with new regional operating model
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its ACI price target to $12 from $20 while maintaining a Neutral rating. The sharply lower target signals reduced confidence in Albertsons’ near-term recovery and leaves limited implied upside. UBS rating update
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup also maintained Neutral but lowered its target to $11 from $17. Citi said additional fixes are needed, reinforcing concerns about execution and profitability. Citi downgrades Albertsons to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: The core catalyst remains Albertsons’ earnings miss and reduced fiscal 2026 outlook. Quarterly EPS came in below expectations, and management lowered its full-year adjusted EPS guidance amid consumer weakness. The company’s high leverage and very thin net margin add to investor concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced investigations into Albertsons. The inquiries focus on whether investors were misled regarding fiscal 2026 sales and earnings guidance after the disappointing results and outlook reduction. These notices add legal and reputational risk, though they do not represent proven wrongdoing. Albertsons investigation notice

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE ACI opened at $11.63 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $14.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.28. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.86 and a 12 month high of $20.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 145.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 850.00%.

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.