UBS Group Lowers Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Price Target to $24.00

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at UBS Group from $27.00 to $24.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 26.65% from the company’s current price.

ACI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.75.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of ACI stock opened at $18.95 on Tuesday. Albertsons Companies has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $23.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $18.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.36. The company has a market cap of $10.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,117,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,646,000 after acquiring an additional 94,300 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 5.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 670,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,395,000 after purchasing an additional 36,154 shares in the last quarter. K2 Principal Fund L.P. increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 68.4% during the third quarter. K2 Principal Fund L.P. now owns 270,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,999,000 after buying an additional 109,901 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $1,906,000. Finally, Lubert Adler Management Company LP lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 47.1% during the second quarter. Lubert Adler Management Company LP now owns 2,664,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,629,000 after buying an additional 852,857 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.