Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,020,000 shares, a decrease of 9.6% from the January 15th total of 8,870,000 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on ACI shares. Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Melius raised 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 76.8% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,816 shares during the period. GAM Holding AG raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 20,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $185,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 76,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,408,000 after purchasing an additional 29,505 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $20.81 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $19.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $21.75.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.15 dividend. 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 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.71%.

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.