Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Purchased by Seizert Capital Partners LLC

Key Points

• Seizert Capital Partners LLC has increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 19.9%, now owning over $47 million in shares, representing 2.2% of its investment portfolio.
• Albertsons recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.55 per share, slightly surpassing estimates, and had revenue of $24.88 billion, up 2.5% year-over-year.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.15 per share, yielding 3.05% annually and indicating a payout ratio of 36.59%.

Seizert Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 19.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,165,890 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 360,067 shares during the quarter. Albertsons Companies makes up about 2.2% of Seizert Capital Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned 0.38% of Albertsons Companies worth $47,628,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 0.7% during the first quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 78,062 shares of the company's stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.0% during the first quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 47,232 shares of the company's stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,997 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 40,476 shares of the company's stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI lowered 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $22.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of ACI traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.62. 5,468,130 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,398,980. The company has a market cap of $10.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.46. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $23.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock's 50-day moving average is $21.27 and its 200-day moving average is $21.24.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The firm 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 earned $0.66 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.59%.

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.