Allianz Asset Management GmbH Boosts Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 297.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 950,441 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 711,296 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned 0.17% of Albertsons Companies worth $20,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthCollab LLC lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% in the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,997 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,370 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 162,569 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 target price on the stock. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.06.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 2.6%

NYSE ACI traded down $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $20.01. The stock had a trading volume of 4,367,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,820,695. The stock has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $21.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.24. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.