Bridgewater Associates LP Lowers Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Bridgewater Associates LP decreased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 59.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 265,814 shares of the company’s stock after selling 391,176 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $4,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings 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. lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,948.4% during the second 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. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth $126,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the second quarter worth $150,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 2,243.9% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,000 after buying an additional 8,594 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on ACI shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, October 11th. Melius upgraded 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. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Melius Research raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $19.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $18.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.50. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.80 and a 1 year high of $23.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 1.25%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.07%.

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.