Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Buys 16,375 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Key Points

• Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. by 241.6% during the first quarter, acquiring 16,375 additional shares worth approximately $509,000.
• Several hedge funds and institutional investors have recently modified their holdings in Albertsons, which is now 71.35% owned by such entities.
• Overall, Albertsons received mixed analyst ratings, with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.06 despite varying opinions on its stock value.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 241.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,154 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,375 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. WealthCollab LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 340.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 100.0% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price target (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.06.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI stock traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $18.84. 2,174,881 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,126,885. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.22. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20. The company has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

Albertsons Companies 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.