21,672 Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Purchased by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 21,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $426,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Ossiam purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $93,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company's stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 4,101 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of ACI stock traded up $0.20 on Friday, reaching $22.10. 4,788,436 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,596,494. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $23.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.72 billion, a PE ratio of 12.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $21.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.50.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.71%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Albertsons Companies news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,569 shares in the company, valued at $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.36.

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.