Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Albertsons Companies Call Options (NYSE:ACI)

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 12,447 call options on the company. This is an increase of 335% compared to the average daily volume of 2,860 call options.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.7%

ACI traded up $0.15 on Wednesday, reaching $22.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,420,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,942,372. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The business's 50 day moving average is $21.79 and its 200 day moving average is $21.15. The stock has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.44.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ACI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI reduced their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 340.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. 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.