Legato Capital Management LLC Acquires 17,259 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Legato Capital Management LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 19.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 107,221 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,259 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $2,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 268.8% during the first quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 353,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,770,000 after buying an additional 257,534 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 87.4% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 97,565 shares of the company's stock worth $2,145,000 after purchasing an additional 45,513 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 297.4% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 950,441 shares of the company's stock worth $20,900,000 after acquiring an additional 711,296 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $2,012,000. Finally, Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $441,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 2.8%

ACI stock opened at $20.59 on Wednesday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $23.20. The company has a market capitalization of $11.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.44. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $21.60 and its 200 day moving average is $21.24.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is 36.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.35% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

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