Investors Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI)

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 4,586 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 161% compared to the average daily volume of 1,760 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 103.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 185.1% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 172.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $13.79. 4,260,329 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,158,315. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.35, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average is $16.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.01. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $13.52 and a 1 year high of $22.78.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 0.26% and a return on equity of 42.75%. The company had revenue of $20.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Albertsons Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.320 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 212.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $26.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Albertsons Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Ten equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.31.

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.