Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 27.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 226,299 shares of the company's stock after selling 87,528 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $4,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares in 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth $93,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $1,015,122.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $22.06. The stock had a trading volume of 617,007 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,400,214. 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 $21.70 and its 200-day moving average is $20.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. 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 (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. Research analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.