MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Invests $1.12 Million in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 56,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,115,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 76.8% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 1,816 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $185,000. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $199,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the third quarter worth about $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

ACI stock opened at $19.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $19.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $21.92.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.75.

Albertsons Companies 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.