Deutsche Bank AG Acquires 1,639,190 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 205.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,438,095 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,639,190 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.42% of Albertsons Companies worth $47,884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $298,302,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,150,522 shares of the company's stock worth $513,596,000 after purchasing an additional 9,308,940 shares in the last quarter. Dendur Capital LP bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $49,100,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew 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. Finally, Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $30,376,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, April 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $21.92. 547,468 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,581,284. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.50. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.20. The company has a market cap of $12.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Albertsons Companies 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.