Seizert Capital Partners LLC Increases Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,805,823 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 147,631 shares during the quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.31% of Albertsons Companies worth $35,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew 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 stake in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 959 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 4,101 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $179,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $199,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI traded up $0.19 during trading on Thursday, reaching $20.99. 11,142,773 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,541,850. The company's 50-day moving average is $20.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $21.67. The company has a market cap of $12.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $23.21.

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.