Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.58.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Melius Research 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. Melius upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 4.4% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.6% in the second quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,198,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 45,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $890,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $19.85 on Wednesday. Albertsons Companies has a twelve month low of $17.80 and a twelve month high of $23.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $18.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.49. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.50 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.07%.

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.