Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Short Interest Up 18.7% in May

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 21,880,000 shares, an increase of 18.7% from the April 30th total of 18,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,760,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days. Approximately 5.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on ACI shares. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $21.41. 2,886,115 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,671,878. The firm has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.76. Albertsons Companies has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $23.20. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total value of $1,015,122.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 0.7% during the first quarter. Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 78,062 shares of the company's stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 47,232 shares of the company's stock worth $941,000 after acquiring an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 54.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,997 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.