Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Receives $23.58 Average PT from Analysts

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.58.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ACI. Melius Research upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Melius raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 2,801 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in Albertsons Companies by 133.3% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $126,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.6 %

Albertsons Companies stock opened at $18.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. Albertsons Companies has a 1-year low of $17.80 and a 1-year high of $23.47. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.63. The company has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 49.50%. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 28th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.07%.

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.