Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Acquires Shares of 22,894 Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 22,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $450,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 109,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,498 shares during the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

ACI opened at $20.79 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $12.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $22.05.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

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.