AlphaQuest LLC Sells 13,873 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 37.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,197 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,873 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised 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 last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $179,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $199,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $21.18 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.49. 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. The stock has a market cap of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACI. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group decreased 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. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 target price on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.