Wealthfront Advisers LLC Purchases Shares of 48,650 Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 48,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $955,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 29,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $581,000 after buying an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Burren Capital Advisors Ltd bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,560,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $318,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $15,544,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 109,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,498 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ACI shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $21.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $21.67. The company has a market capitalization of $12.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The business had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

Albertsons Companies 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.