Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Position Increased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,491,772 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 428,506 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $186,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $179,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

ACI opened at $21.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.93. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on ACI shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America initiated coverage on Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies Profile

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.