Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) Sets New 12-Month Low at $19.25

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $19.25 and last traded at $19.25, with a volume of 1436962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on ACI. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm raised Albertsons Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $24.45.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.49.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $24.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.16 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACI. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Albertsons Companies in the 4th quarter worth $1,023,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 40.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,404,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,305,000 after purchasing an additional 692,188 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 109.7% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 57,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 29,849 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 40.1% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,054,000 after purchasing an additional 54,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new position in Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,247,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.