Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.75.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ACI shares. Melius Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 4.4% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,198,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 45,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $890,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $19.63 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $19.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.33. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $21.97. The company has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

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.