Albertsons Companies (ACI) Reports $0.54 Adj. EPS for Fiscal Q4, Beats Expectations

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) has recently unveiled its results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 and the entirety of the fiscal year, ending on February 24, 2024.

The report highlights a period of solid performance, with the company emphasizing its strategy to foster lifelong customer relationships. This approach has notably spurred growth across digital and pharmacy sectors, deepening omnichannel engagements and enhancing in-store experiences.

During the quarter, Albertsons saw a 1.0% rise in identical sales, a significant 24% leap in digital sales, and an expansion of loyalty members by 16% to 39.8 million. Adjusted for specific items, net income reached $318 million, or $0.54 per share, with adjusted EBITDA at $916 million.

Slight Uptick in Gross Margin Rate

The company’s gross margin rate saw a slight uptick to 28.0% from 27.8% in the same quarter of the previous year, despite a 58 basis points decrease when excluding fuel and LIFO impacts. This was attributed to the robust performance of pharmacy operations and the increased costs associated with digital sales growth, which were partially mitigated by procurement and sourcing productivity initiatives.

Selling and administrative expenses slightly decreased as a percentage of net sales and other revenue, reflecting the company’s ongoing efforts to optimize its operational efficiency amidst expanding its digital and omnichannel capabilities.

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Albertsons Beats EPS Expectations in Fiscal Q4

Analysts had set the earnings per share (EPS) expectation at $0.5241 and projected revenue at $18.45 billion for the quarter. Albertsons surpassed the EPS forecast with $0.54 per share but fell slightly short of the revenue expectation, posting $18.3 billion. This juxtaposition underscores the company’s ability to exceed profitability expectations while grappling with the challenges of a fluctuating market that slightly impacted its revenue streams.

Guidance

Looking ahead, Albertsons is gearing up to navigate a landscape marked by both opportunities and challenges. The company plans to continue investing in the Customers for Life strategy, enhancing digital and omnichannel capabilities to foster deeper customer connections.

However, Albertsons anticipates facing headwinds, including increased associate wages and benefits investments, the cycling of significant prior year food inflation, and a shift towards lower-margin pharmacy and digital businesses. These challenges are expected to exert more pressure in the first half of fiscal 2024, although ongoing productivity initiatives will likely provide some offset.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article.