Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Stock Price Down 3%

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)’s share price traded down 3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $18.30 and last traded at $18.30. 1,444,425 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 2,994,242 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.45.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $10.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The company had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 21.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the first quarter worth about $41,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 2,801 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 133.3% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.