First Trust Advisors LP Takes Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 704,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,841,000. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.12% of Albertsons Companies at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 322,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,929,000 after purchasing an additional 25,868 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $199,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $242,000. Finally, Winthrop Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,011,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.38.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE ACI opened at $21.90 on Monday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $21.32 and a 200-day moving average of $20.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. 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 (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The company had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.59%.

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.