Bridgewater Associates LP Trims Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Bridgewater Associates LP cut its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 70.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,941 shares of the company's stock after selling 187,873 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,531,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ACI. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,310,122 shares of the company's stock worth $713,131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347,875 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 55.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,150,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $513,596,000 after purchasing an additional 9,308,940 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $298,302,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,491,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,211,000 after purchasing an additional 428,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,465,449 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,848 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI traded down $0.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $22.32. 3,011,047 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,693,500. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $21.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.05. The stock has a market cap of $12.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is 36.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.38.

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.