Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Acquired by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,064 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,544 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the fourth 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 increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 1.8 %

ACI opened at $22.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.83 and its 200-day moving average is $19.70. 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 $22.40.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 33.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.