Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank of Canada Analyst Says

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) had its target price boosted by Royal Bank of Canada from $22.00 to $23.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on ACI. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.50.

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Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.89 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $21.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,066,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,851,945. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $22.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $20.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.50.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies's payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in 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. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 47,232 shares of the company's stock valued at $941,000 after buying an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,324 shares of the company's stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during 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. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 40,476 shares of the company's stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.