Securian Asset Management Inc. Buys Shares of 30,802 Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Securian Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 30,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $677,000.

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

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.4%

ACI opened at $20.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 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 0.22. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $21.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.21. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price objective (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the 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 owned 162,569 shares in the company, valued at $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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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