Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 88.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 206,691 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 97,244 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $3,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the second quarter valued at $126,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the second quarter worth $150,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,243.9% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 8,594 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ACI shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Melius raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.09.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.9 %

ACI opened at $19.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.51. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $23.47. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $18.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 1.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Monday, October 28th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.07%.

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.