Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $21.88 and last traded at $21.70, with a volume of 916621 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ACI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 4.0 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.49. 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 company has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. Sell-side 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 paid a $0.15 dividend. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 33.71%.

Institutional Trading of Albertsons Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC lifted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.