Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 260,259 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,361 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $5,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ACI. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 29,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Burren Capital Advisors Ltd bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,560,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $318,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Albertsons Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $15,544,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 109,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,147,000 after buying an additional 1,498 shares in the last quarter. 71.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albertsons Companies Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of ACI opened at $21.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $20.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.48. 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 company has a market cap of $12.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.50. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $21.67.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This is a boost from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACI has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.43.

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.