Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $5.16 Million Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 50.6%, holding 234,635 shares valued at $5.16 million at the end of the 1st quarter.
• Albertsons Companies recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.00%, to be paid on August 8th.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings for Albertsons Companies, with twelve buy ratings and a target price range up to $27.00, reflecting a cautious yet optimistic outlook.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 50.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 234,635 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 78,800 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $5,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ACI. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $298,302,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $513,596,000 after purchasing an additional 9,308,940 shares during the last quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.0% during the fourth quarter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN now owns 5,766,719 shares of the company's stock worth $113,258,000 after purchasing an additional 2,993,988 shares during the last quarter. Dendur Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $49,100,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 2,347,875 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $24.00 target price (up from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.06.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE ACI traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $19.35. The company had a trading volume of 1,962,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,166,647. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month 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 has a market capitalization of $10.83 billion, a PE ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.44. The stock's 50 day moving average is $21.38 and its 200-day moving average is $21.24.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.88 billion during 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%. Albertsons Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.