Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 target price (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Tigress Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $31.00 price objective on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.19.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 2.8%

Albertsons Companies stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $20.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,773,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,150,734. The firm's 50 day moving average is $21.67 and its 200 day moving average is $21.24. The company has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.18. Albertsons Companies has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.68 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 1.18%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Omer Gajial sold 47,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.46, for a total transaction of $1,015,122.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 162,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,730.74. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. West Oak Capital LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. WealthCollab LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 340.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.