Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 28,303 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 186,030 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,303 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $3,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $298,302,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Albertsons Companies by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,310,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $713,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347,875 shares in the last quarter. Trium Capital LLP bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $23,678,000. Anson Funds Management LP boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 973.0% during the 3rd quarter. Anson Funds Management LP now owns 1,190,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,544,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $21.95 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.99 and a 200 day moving average of $19.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 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 $23.20. The company has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its earnings results 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. 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 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

About Albertsons Companies

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.