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

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.45.

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, July 18th.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of ACI opened at $18.55 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $19.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.22. Albertsons Companies has a 12-month low of $17.80 and a 12-month high of $23.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The firm had revenue of $24.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ACI. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.