Seizert Capital Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

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

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $11,800,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,420,000. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. III Capital Management bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,892,000. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.3%

ACI stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Friday, hitting $19.47. 402,196 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,150,020. The stock has a market cap of $10.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 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 0.18. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The firm's 50 day moving average is $21.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.23.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Tigress Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $22.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $24.00 price target (up from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.35% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.