Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Albertsons Companies has been upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating, reflecting increased analyst confidence in the stock's potential.
• Several analysts have adjusted their price targets for Albertsons, with BMO Capital Markets raising it to $25.00 and Tigress Financial setting a price objective of $28.00.
• Despite a recent downgrade of its stock price target by JPMorgan Chase, the consensus rating from analysts remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $24.06.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

ACI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $27.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.06.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $19.65. The company had a trading volume of 7,866,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,816,455. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.98, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.44. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $21.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.18. 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 issued 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. The business had revenue of $24.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%. Albertsons Companies's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 296.5% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 473,624 shares of the company's stock worth $9,302,000 after purchasing an additional 354,176 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 495.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 81,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,596,000 after acquiring an additional 67,618 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,310,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $713,131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347,875 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 286,827 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,633,000 after purchasing an additional 25,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 247,060 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,374 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

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.