Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI – Get Rating) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $25.93.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Tigress Financial upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $27.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, April 17th.

Insider Activity at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 32,544 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.95, for a total transaction of $681,796.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,052,548.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.5% in the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 9,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 5.3% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 1.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 56,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. 65.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI stock opened at $20.28 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.73. Albertsons Companies has a 12-month low of $19.14 and a 12-month high of $31.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.35, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.86.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 11th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.08. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.95% and a return on equity of 68.28%. The firm had revenue of $18.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.16 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 26th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 25th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.12%.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

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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.