Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $13.31 and last traded at $13.7890, with a volume of 833690 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ACI shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.31.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.94. The stock has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.27, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.40.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 212.50%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 121.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 42,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $720,000 after acquiring an additional 23,227 shares during the last quarter. Carlson Capital L.P. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 138.4% during the first quarter. Carlson Capital L.P. now owns 119,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,031,000 after acquiring an additional 69,200 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 43.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,899,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,363,000 after acquiring an additional 578,401 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 170.9% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 3,523 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 21.2% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 422,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,208,000 after purchasing an additional 73,870 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.