Signaturefd LLC Purchases 1,816 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 76.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,181 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,816 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $77,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on ACI. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Melius Research raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.7 %

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $18.02 on Wednesday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.80 and a 52 week high of $23.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.08, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.70.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted 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 business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.