Seizert Capital Partners LLC Purchases 194,390 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,658,192 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 194,390 shares during the period. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.29% of Albertsons Companies worth $30,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $414,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 199.2% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 111,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,383,000 after purchasing an additional 74,011 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 68.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 199,153 shares of the company's stock worth $4,270,000 after purchasing an additional 81,056 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 40.1% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,083 shares of the company's stock worth $4,054,000 after purchasing an additional 54,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,160,009 shares of the company's stock valued at $710,951,000 after purchasing an additional 335,783 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded down $0.22 on Friday, hitting $18.88. 2,230,395 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,362,057. The company has a market cap of $10.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.80 and a 12-month high of $23.47. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Monday, October 28th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ACI shares. Melius raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 11th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $23.58.

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.