Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Rating Increased to Buy at UBS Group

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $27.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 34.67% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 target price (up from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.19.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE ACI opened at $20.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.44. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $21.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.24. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The business had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value of $1,015,122.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.9% during the second quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 26,567 shares of the company's stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 0.7% during the first quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 78,062 shares of the company's stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 20.9% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,624 shares of the company's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 627 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.0% during the first quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 7.6% during the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 10,006 shares of the company's stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 704 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company's stock.

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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