Yakira Capital Management Inc. Has $670,000 Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Yakira Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 87.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,128 shares of the company’s stock after selling 241,500 shares during the period. Yakira Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $670,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACI. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 91.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 4,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $179,000. Institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ACI. Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $26.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America began coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of Albertsons Companies stock opened at $21.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $23.20.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 44.70% and a net margin of 1.30%. The business had revenue of $18.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. Albertsons Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.71%.

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.