Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,640,000 shares, a decrease of 16.9% from the March 15th total of 20,030,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,500,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 4.0% of the company's shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.38.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 2.1 %

ACI traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $21.90. 5,822,704 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,390,973. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.12.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% in the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors 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.