Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Stock Position Boosted by Dark Forest Capital Management LP

Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 17.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 360,005 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 52,832 shares during the period. Albertsons Companies accounts for about 1.3% of Dark Forest Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Dark Forest Capital Management LP’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $7,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,160,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $710,951,000 after buying an additional 335,783 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.7% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 5,078,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,881,000 after acquiring an additional 85,707 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,923,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,236,000 after purchasing an additional 362,813 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 25.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,624,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,337,000 after purchasing an additional 924,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 38.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,426,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,669,000 after purchasing an additional 956,744 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Melius Research assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday. They set a “hold” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.54.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $18.43 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $19.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.67 billion, a PE ratio of 8.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.80 and a 52-week high of $23.47.

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

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.61%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 21.52%.

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.