Arizona State Retirement System Purchases 1,498 Shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,337 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,498 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $2,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 204.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 10,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 7,209 shares during the period. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $21.10 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $20.31 and its 200-day moving average is $19.47. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $21.67.

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

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. This is an increase from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.21.

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.