ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 70,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,542,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACI. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 495.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 81,271 shares of the company's stock worth $1,596,000 after buying an additional 67,618 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $6,962,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 201.4% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 307,265 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,035,000 after acquiring an additional 205,335 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 138,347 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,717,000 after acquiring an additional 48,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 75.9% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 259,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,089,000 after purchasing an additional 111,842 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company's stock.
Albertsons Companies Stock Performance
Shares of ACI traded down $0.35 on Monday, reaching $19.36. 6,823,329 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,165,658. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $23.20. The firm has a market cap of $10.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $21.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.23.
Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%. The firm had revenue of $24.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages recently weighed in on ACI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $22.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.06.
Read Our Latest Report on ACI
Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies
In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the company'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.
Albertsons Companies Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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