Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Stock Holdings Increased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 5.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 670,722 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 36,154 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Albertsons Companies worth $12,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company's stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $126,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $150,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on ACI. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 18th. Melius Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Melius raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $19.01. The stock had a trading volume of 3,729,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,053,551. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.56. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.80 and a 52 week high of $23.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. Albertsons Companies's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.07%.

Albertsons Companies Company 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.