Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Short Interest Up 117.7% in March

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 20,030,000 shares, an increase of 117.7% from the February 28th total of 9,200,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,460,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 4.8% of the company's shares are short sold.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.37 during trading on Monday, hitting $21.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,511,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,049,424. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $22.05. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $20.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.65. 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 company has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

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

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Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.50.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,962,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,386 shares of the company's stock worth $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 6,211 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $1,882,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $518,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $3,581,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.