Natixis Sells 152,899 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Natixis decreased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 97.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,644 shares of the company's stock after selling 152,899 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $72,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. Ossiam purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $93,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on ACI. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $23.38.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI traded up $0.25 on Tuesday, hitting $21.94. The stock had a trading volume of 5,301,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,399,629. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20. The stock has a market cap of $12.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $21.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.15.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The company had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is presently 36.59%.

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.