Brokerages Set Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) PT at $22.75

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.75.

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 2.9 %

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $19.62 on Thursday. Albertsons Companies has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $22.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.33. The company has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.51.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 88.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,841,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,232,000 after acquiring an additional 7,887,688 shares during the last quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP now owns 8,546,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,946,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585,899 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,170,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239,978 shares during the period. Trium Capital LLP bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $23,678,000. Finally, Anson Funds Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 973.0% in the 3rd quarter. Anson Funds Management LP now owns 1,190,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079,246 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Company 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.