GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. Reduces Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. reduced its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 37.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 482,270 shares of the company's stock after selling 291,276 shares during the quarter. Albertsons Companies accounts for approximately 1.6% of GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. owned 0.08% of Albertsons Companies worth $9,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised 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 in the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 40,476 shares of the company's stock valued at $795,000 after buying an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,358 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 2.4 %

ACI traded up $0.51 on Friday, hitting $21.66. The company had a trading volume of 10,042,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,307,437. The company has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.20. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $21.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

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

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is 36.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ACI. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.36.

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.