Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,438,292 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,157 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 1.29% of Albertsons Companies worth $163,568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew 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 worth $66,000 after buying an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.1%

ACI traded up $0.23 on Friday, hitting $20.47. 7,587,961 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,118,534. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $23.20. The company has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.22.

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, 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 analysts' expectations of $24.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Albertsons Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 sale, the executive vice president 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 this link. Corporate insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Albertsons Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 price target on Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.20.

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.