Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Now Covered by Melius Research

Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) in a research report report published on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a market perform rating and set a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $23.54.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $18.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $10.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies has a 52-week low of $17.80 and a 52-week high of $23.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67. The company’s 50 day moving average is $19.58 and its 200 day moving average is $20.12.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The company had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 21.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Verus Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 51,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 50,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the period. Finally, Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 10,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.