Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Purchased by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 913.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 340,710 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 307,102 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Albertsons Companies worth $6,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the fourth 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 lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $179,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI traded up $0.40 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $21.21. 3,994,669 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,899,407. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $22.05. The company has a market capitalization of $12.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The business's 50 day moving average price is $20.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACI. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.50.

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.