Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Makes New Investment in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 182,332 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,581,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $298,302,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,150,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $513,596,000 after acquiring an additional 9,308,940 shares during the period. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.0% in the fourth quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN now owns 5,766,719 shares of the company's stock valued at $113,258,000 after acquiring an additional 2,993,988 shares during the last quarter. Dendur Capital LP bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,100,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,310,122 shares of the company's stock worth $713,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347,875 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE ACI traded down $0.34 on Tuesday, reaching $21.68. The company had a trading volume of 2,481,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,646,053. The company's fifty day moving average is $21.86 and its 200-day moving average is $20.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. 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 research report on Thursday, April 17th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total transaction of $1,015,122.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

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.