South Dakota Investment Council Invests $1.66 Million in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

South Dakota Investment Council acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 94,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,658,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $320,613,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 10,946,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,673,000 after purchasing an additional 368,100 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,388,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410,778 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,901,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,510,000 after acquiring an additional 124,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,470,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,875,000 after purchasing an additional 741,135 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $17.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.18, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.91. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.80 and a fifty-two week high of $23.20. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.92.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 38.00% and a net margin of 1.06%.The company had revenue of $19.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.71 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.58.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total value of $863,870.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 289,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,102,633.27. The trade was a 14.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Albertsons Companies

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.