Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Stake Lifted by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 7.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,063,266 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 592,711 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.56% of Albertsons Companies worth $167,229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACI. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the company's stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 544 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.6% during the second quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,288 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 4.9% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,324 shares of the company's stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 1.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 45,055 shares of the company's stock valued at $890,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $19.85. 8,409,284 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,265,359. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $23.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $18.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.38.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Monday, October 28th were issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ACI shares. Bank of America began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Melius upgraded Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.09.

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.