Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. $ACI

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 755,552 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,809 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Albertsons Companies worth $16,252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 780.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 156,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,358,000 after purchasing an additional 138,381 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 13,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 53,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,276 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 24.5% during the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 45,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 8,967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 31.9% during the 2nd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 8,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,970 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of ACI opened at $18.27 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $10.03 billion, a PE ratio of 10.81, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.70 and a 1 year high of $23.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 24th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ACI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Zacks Research upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an “underweight” rating and a $19.00 price target for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In related news, EVP Michael T. Theilmann sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total transaction of $1,935,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 338,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,548,601.15. This trade represents a 22.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 230,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.25, for a total value of $4,427,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 300,577 shares in the company, valued at $5,786,107.25. This represents a 43.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.