Readystate Asset Management LP Makes New Investment in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 41,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $559,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,707.5% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 123,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,111,000 after buying an additional 119,455 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $388,089,000. Strategic Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $2,858,000. III Capital Management raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 78.9% in the 4th quarter. III Capital Management now owns 215,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,698,000 after acquiring an additional 95,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $23,178,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $12.53 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $12.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.22. The stock has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 156.62, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.37. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.86 and a fifty-two week high of $20.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.42 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $24.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. The firm’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, equities analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 850.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other news, EVP Thomas M. Moriarty purchased 170,500 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,962,455.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 308,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,555,968.46. This trade represents a 123.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Susan Morris acquired 39,409 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.42 per share, with a total value of $450,050.78. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,092,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,481,557.52. This trade represents a 3.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders bought 218,909 shares of company stock worth $2,515,826. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Albertsons Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $11.00 in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. 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 research note on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research cut shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Albertsons Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $23.00 to $12.00 in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.31.

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.