J. Goldman & Co LP Cuts Stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

J. Goldman & Co LP reduced its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 208,119 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,881 shares during the quarter. J. Goldman & Co LP's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $4,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $298,302,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 55.3% in the 4th 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 period. Dendur Capital LP purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,100,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 6.9% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 205.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,438,095 shares of the company's stock worth $47,884,000 after buying an additional 1,639,190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI traded up $0.37 during trading on Thursday, reaching $21.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,838,435 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,564,292. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $21.66 and a 200 day moving average of $20.42. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $23.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.31, 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 current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ACI. Citigroup began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.36.

Albertsons Companies Company 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.