Albertsons Companies Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ACI)

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 14,743 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 69% compared to the average volume of 8,743 call options.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of ACI opened at $18.58 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $19.72 and its 200 day moving average is $20.20. Albertsons Companies has a fifty-two week low of $17.80 and a fifty-two week high of $23.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $24.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albertsons Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $24.45.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

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.