Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC cut its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 49.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,587 shares of the company's stock after selling 41,308 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $936,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 340.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 54.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,997 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of ACI opened at $21.21 on Monday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $23.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $21.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $12.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.46.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The firm had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.19% and a return on equity of 41.03%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. 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 report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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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