Towle & Co. Purchases 295,413 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Towle & Co. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 674.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 339,227 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 295,413 shares during the period. Towle & Co.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $5,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACI. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 130.4% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 98.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 61.7% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 49,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total transaction of $863,870.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 289,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,102,633.27. The trade was a 14.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ACI opened at $17.90 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.48. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $15.80 and a 52-week high of $23.20. 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 (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $19.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.18 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.06% and a return on equity of 38.00%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.58.

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.