Citigroup Inc. Sells 286,422 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Citigroup Inc. lessened its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 813,888 shares of the company’s stock after selling 286,422 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $15,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 4.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,668,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,321,000 after purchasing an additional 118,855 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 25.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,170,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239,978 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth $316,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 134.6% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 23,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 13,749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 494.0% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 440,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,140,000 after purchasing an additional 366,331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE ACI opened at $19.61 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $18.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. The stock has a market cap of $11.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.46, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.80 and a 12 month high of $23.47.

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. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 28.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ACI. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Melius raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.58.

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.