Advisory Services Network LLC Makes New Investment in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 13,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $179,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $21.66 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $21.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.97. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $23.20. The stock has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $18.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ACI shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.36.

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.