Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 62,167 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 25.3%, owning 308,074 shares valued at approximately $6.8 million after purchasing an additional 62,167 shares.
• Albertsons recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.55, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.54, and demonstrated a 2.5% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15, translating to a 3.1% annual yield, with a dividend payout ratio of 36.59%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 25.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 308,074 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 62,167 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.05% of Albertsons Companies worth $6,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elgethun Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Elgethun Capital Management now owns 192,662 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,237,000 after acquiring an additional 14,995 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.4% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,075,760 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,636,000 after purchasing an additional 239,291 shares during the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $1,542,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,374,669 shares of the company's stock worth $821,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $252,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $24.00 price target (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.06.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE ACI traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $19.19. The stock had a trading volume of 4,478,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,052,325. The company has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.46. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $20.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.82. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. Albertsons Companies's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

Albertsons Companies Company 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.