UMB Bank n.a. Increases Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 261.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,209 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,915 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $298,302,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,150,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $513,596,000 after buying an additional 9,308,940 shares during the period. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.0% in the fourth 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 bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,100,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,310,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $713,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347,875 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Albertsons Companies

In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ACI. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lowered 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. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.36.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI traded down $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.22. 4,134,208 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,694,138. The company has a market cap of $12.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.92, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.82.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is 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.