Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives $24.21 Average Target Price from Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.21.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ACI shares. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 target price on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE ACI traded down $0.06 on Thursday, reaching $22.28. 5,019,497 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,942,680. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $23.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.58, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.44. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $21.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.15.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.19% and a return on equity of 41.03%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total transaction of $1,015,122.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 162,569 shares in the company, valued at $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $243,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 204.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 10,731 shares of the company's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 7,209 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company's stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,836,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,708,000 after purchasing an additional 167,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $244,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Albertsons Companies

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.