Ethic Inc. Buys 12,912 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Ethic Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 35.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,072 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,912 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $964,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ACI. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 205.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,438,095 shares of the company's stock worth $47,884,000 after buying an additional 1,639,190 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 241,500.0% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 4,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,830 shares in the last quarter. Crestline Management LP bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $524,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $341,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 142.9% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 59,584 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 35,051 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Monday, reaching $21.92. The stock had a trading volume of 547,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,581,430. The company has a market capitalization of $12.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $23.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $21.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.50. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

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 36.59%.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total transaction of $1,015,122.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares in the company, valued at $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

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.