Ameriprise Financial Inc. Acquires 104,302 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 136.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 180,861 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 104,302 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc.'s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $3,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ACI. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 68.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 83,895 shares of the company's stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 34,023 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 44.6% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,014 shares of the company's stock worth $465,000 after buying an additional 7,093 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $179,000. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 299,947 shares of the company's stock worth $5,891,000 after buying an additional 85,755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,541,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.36.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ACI stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $22.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,023,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,652,968. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $21.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $12.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $18.80 billion during 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 previous year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was 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 owns 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. The trade was 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 company insiders.

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.