56,828 Shares in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Purchased by MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 56,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,115,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 83,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 34,023 shares during the period. Trium Capital LLP purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $23,678,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,011,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $242,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.75.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:ACI opened at $19.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $21.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.33.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. On average, sell-side 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 will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.