Winthrop Advisory Group LLC Invests $1.01 Million in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Winthrop Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 51,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,011,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $150,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 24,300 shares of the company's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,243.9% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,977 shares of the company's stock valued at $177,000 after acquiring an additional 8,594 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.7% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 730,007 shares of the company's stock worth $14,418,000 after buying an additional 19,099 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 25.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,624,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,337,000 after acquiring an additional 924,519 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Albertsons Companies stock traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $20.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,318,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,523,352. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.98 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.51. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $22.71. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $19.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 1.25%. The business had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Melius Research raised 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. UBS Group dropped 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $22.75.

Albertsons Companies 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.