Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 2,347,875 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 36,310,122 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,347,875 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Albertsons Companies worth $713,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 109,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,498 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $21.61 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $22.05. The stock has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACI. Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies 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.