tru Independence LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

tru Independence LLC lowered its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 38.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 134,605 shares of the company’s stock after selling 84,290 shares during the period. tru Independence LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $2,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $453,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth $1,115,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 68.2% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 83,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 34,023 shares during the period. Finally, Trium Capital LLP purchased a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth $23,678,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ACI. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, October 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.00.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 0.7 %

ACI opened at $20.06 on Monday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $21.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $19.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.33. 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 capitalization of $11.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.51.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion during 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 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 business earned $0.79 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Albertsons Companies Company 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.