Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund decreased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 79.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 78,773 shares of the company’s stock after selling 308,224 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 2,248 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 120,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 51,100 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $2,288,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 464,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $243,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $20.69 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $20.15 and its 200-day moving average is $19.45. The company has a market cap of $11.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 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 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $21.67.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on ACI. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on 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. UBS Group reduced their target price on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.21.

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.