Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Sells 598 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 1.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,656 shares of the company’s stock after selling 598 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $622,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Verus Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 3.6% during the second quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 51,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,094,000 after buying an additional 864 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,198,000 after buying an additional 933 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 50,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 45,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $890,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $18.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $19.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.80. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.80 and a one year high of $23.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 28th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 21.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday. Melius Research upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.58.

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.