Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.50.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group lowered 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 446.0% during the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $93,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of ACI stock opened at $21.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. Albertsons Companies has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $22.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $20.77 and a 200-day moving average of $19.67.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.79 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.71%.

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.