Brokerages Set Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Target Price at $23.21

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.43.

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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 research note on Wednesday, December 11th.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $21.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $21.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $20.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.48. The company has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,882,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $518,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth $3,581,000. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth $248,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3,052.0% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 799,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,711,000 after purchasing an additional 774,586 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.