Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI Shares Purchased by New York State Teachers Retirement System

Key Points

• The New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 9.4%, owning 182,112 shares valued at approximately $3.9 million after acquiring additional shares during the 2nd quarter.
• Albertsons announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.1%, to be paid on November 7th to shareholders of record on October 24th.
• Insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of Albertsons stock on October 16th, representing a 43.35% decrease in their ownership.

New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 182,112 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,601 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $3,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bessemer Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 340.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $19.66 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The firm has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a PE ratio of 11.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $18.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.38. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.70 and a 12-month high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ACI. Zacks Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $23.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Albertsons Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $23.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.25, for a total transaction of $4,427,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 300,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,786,107.25. This trade represents a 43.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total transaction of $1,935,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 338,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,548,601.15. This trade represents a 22.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.35% 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.

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