Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Purchased by Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 35.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,500 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,274 shares during the quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $247,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $126,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

ACI stock opened at $18.49 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $19.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.09. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.80 and a 52 week high of $23.47. The company has a market cap of $10.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 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 firm had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.54.

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.