Albertsons Companies Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ACI)

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 21,151 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 890% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,137 call options.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $14.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,558,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,280,129. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $15.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.61. The company has a market capitalization of $7.01 billion, a PE ratio of 44.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58. Albertsons Companies has a twelve month low of $13.16 and a twelve month high of $22.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 42.75% and a net margin of 0.26%.The company had revenue of $20.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 212.50%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $388,089,000. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 5,159,905 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 5,110,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 113.0% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,749,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,546,000 after acquiring an additional 2,519,432 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ACI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.54.

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.