Albertsons Companies’ (ACI) “Underweight” Rating Reaffirmed at Morgan Stanley

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI)‘s stock had its “underweight” rating restated by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $14.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $20.00. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential downside of 21.01% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on ACI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Eleven 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.21.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $17.72 on Thursday. Albertsons Companies 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. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $17.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.64. The firm has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.48.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. The company 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%. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.71 EPS. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 130.4% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 185.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 98.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 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.