LSV Asset Management Raises Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,992,700 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 283,100 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $114,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,144,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,026,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950,786 shares during the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $64,739,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 232.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 2,485,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,596,000 after buying an additional 1,737,466 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 95.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,230,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,751,000 after buying an additional 1,092,150 shares during the period. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 88.4% in the 4th quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 1,504,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,598,000 after acquiring an additional 705,861 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $20.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,421,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,791,177. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.22, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.51. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.84 and a fifty-two week high of $23.88.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Roth Capital upgraded Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albertsons Companies

In other Albertsons Companies news, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 24,362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.24, for a total transaction of $493,086.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares in the company, valued at $1,016,877.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Robert Bruce Larson sold 24,362 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.24, for a total value of $493,086.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 50,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,016,877.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anuj Dhanda sold 100,000 shares of Albertsons Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.35, for a total transaction of $2,035,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 365,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,433,793.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Albertsons Companies Company 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.