Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $24.36.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ACI. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value of $1,015,122.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. The trade was a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 68.2% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 83,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 34,023 shares in the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,115,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $254,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 44.6% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,014 shares of the company's stock worth $465,000 after buying an additional 7,093 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ACI opened at $21.97 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $21.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.53. The firm has a market cap of $12.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. Albertsons Companies has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.

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