Nuveen Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 841,089 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,918 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Albertsons Companies worth $16,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 83,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 34,023 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 44.6% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,014 shares of the company's stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 7,093 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $179,000. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 299,947 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,891,000 after purchasing an additional 85,755 shares during the period. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,541,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded 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. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value of $1,015,122.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,488,730.74. The trade was a 22.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $22.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 586,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,181,094. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $21.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.67. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.20. The stock has a market cap of $12.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio 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.