Victory Capital Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 45.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,886 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,590 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ACI. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $11,800,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,420,000. Bessemer Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. III Capital Management acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,892,000. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $232,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 target price (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of ACI stock traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $19.62. 5,468,127 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,186,904. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.20. The company's 50-day moving average price is $21.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.23.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. 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.