Intech Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,936 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,970 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $179,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $20.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.57. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $22.05. The stock has a market cap of $12.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.79 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on ACI shares. Citigroup began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.50.

About Albertsons Companies

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.