Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.45.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. Tigress Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 12th. Roth Capital upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of ACI traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $20.74. 841,233 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,356,308. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $19.84 and a 12 month high of $23.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market cap of $11.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.51. The stock's 50-day moving average is $20.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.45.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is 21.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 24,362 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.24, for a total transaction of $493,086.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,016,877.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Albertsons Companies news, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 100,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.35, for a total transaction of $2,035,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 365,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,433,793.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 24,362 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.24, for a total transaction of $493,086.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares in the company, valued at $1,016,877.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 255.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company's stock.

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.