79,436 Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Purchased by Burren Capital Advisors Ltd

Burren Capital Advisors Ltd bought a new position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 79,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,560,000. Albertsons Companies comprises approximately 7.6% of Burren Capital Advisors Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $318,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth $15,544,000. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 109,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,147,000 after buying an additional 1,498 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $243,000. Finally, Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,805,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,466,000 after acquiring an additional 147,631 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $21.46 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $20.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. 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 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $21.67.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACI has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies 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.