Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.50.

ACI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price target on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the 4th 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $93,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Albertsons Companies Stock Down 4.2 %

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded down $0.97 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.95. The stock had a trading volume of 6,566,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,110,686. 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 company has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. Albertsons Companies has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $23.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $20.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.77.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The business's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

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.