Two Sigma Advisers LP Cuts Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Two Sigma Advisers LP reduced its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 65.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,000 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Ossiam purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $93,000. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 241,500.0% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 4,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,830 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $21.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,886,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,696,952. The company has a 50-day moving average of $21.83 and a 200-day moving average of $20.80. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $23.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.46.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The firm had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is 36.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on ACI. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

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.