Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Sells 44,159 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 83.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,728 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,159 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 21.8% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 783 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 33.0% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,494 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 1,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded down $0.14 during trading on Thursday, hitting $19.92. 3,750,121 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,461,578. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.84 and a 1-year high of $23.88. The company has a market capitalization of $11.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The business's 50 day moving average is $20.85 and its 200-day moving average is $21.61.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $27.00 target price 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 research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.45.

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.