Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Raises Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 223,133 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,662 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $4,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 13,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 690 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.7% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 51,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,094,000 after buying an additional 864 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 50,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 10,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.45.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $19.64 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 8.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.88. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.25 and a fifty-two week high of $23.88. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.42.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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 fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 21.52%.

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.