Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.75.

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Telsey Advisory Group raised Albertsons Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $21.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $126,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $150,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,243.9% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $185,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $19.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.10 and a 200 day moving average of $19.33. Albertsons Companies has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $23.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.07%.

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.