Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,020,000 shares, a decrease of 9.6% from the January 15th total of 8,870,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,350,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock traded down $0.53 during trading on Monday, reaching $20.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,613,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,261,776. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.39. 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 has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $21.75. The company has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a positive change 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 2.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted 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 during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth 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 boosted 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 76.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,816 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citigroup assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Finally, Melius Research raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.21.

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.